The Amazing Alchemist
by ec-writes
Summary: 'Super-Hero/Spider-Man AU' After thirteen years of unanswered questions, eighteen year-old Edward Elric goes in search of finding the hidden truth behind his parents' strange disappearance. He never expected to become the perfect specimen for his father's secret research, or a beacon of hope for East City and its citizens.
1. Chapter 1

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Red, oversized socks slipped and slid across hardwood floor, as a little boy ran squealing through an open living room. He waved his arms rapidly to help keep balance, turning and ducking behind a large plant standing beside an even larger entertainment center. A woman fumbled into the room soon after, hooking her chestnut colored hair behind her ear, and sighed as she placed her hands upon her hips, diligently scanning the room in search of the child.

"Edward Van Elric," she called, and the boy squirms in his hiding place, "your father is going to be home any minute, and if you're not in bed by the time-"

The sound of the front door bursting open cut her words short. From behind the plant, Edward watched as a large man, with golden hair like his, barged into the room and engulfed his mother in a tight embrace.

"Van, honey!" his mother laughed, as his father kissed her and spun her around the room. It was like watching a princess be swept up by her knight in shining armor, and Edward was happy to see his mother's smile grow so wide. "What's gotten into you?"

She had become distracted, and Edward took the opportune moment to run out of the room, and down the hall to his father's study.

"Trisha, it worked!" he heard his father say, as he stumbled past the large double doors that lead to the room. "We figured it out! The project is a success!"

Edward nearly tripped over his flopping sock as the words hit his ears. His father had always been gone, always working on that dumb, stupid "project". He wondered if this meant he would finally be back home again.

"You can tell me all about it," Trisha's voice carries through the hall, "once we get your oldest son in bed."

Edward grimaces when he hears his father's laugh, and reaches for the lock on the door, when-

-CRASH-

The young boy jumped at the sound of breaking glass, and turned to see a black figure standing behind his father's desk; its gloved hands rummaged through folders and scribbled-on pieces of paper that cover its surface.

"Hey! That's my dad's-" the boy started to shout, but became frozen in horror as the figure pointed a gun.

"Edward? Edward, where are you? Are you okay?"

The figure halted as the sound of footsteps blasted towards the door, and jumped out of the smashed window from whence it came.

His mother and father ran into the room seconds later. Trisha shrieked once she spotted the broken glass scattered about the floor, and snatched Edward up into her arms, scanning his little body frantically for cuts.

"There was a person," the boy managed to say, and Van's face went blank. "He was looking at your secret stuff, dad."

His father's eyes turned dark, and Edward shivered as his large hands balled into shaking fists. He looked to Trisha, whose emerald eyes had always been a constant source of safety and serenity, only to see fear widen their shape in a way he had never seen before. It frightened him to see his mother look so afraid.

"Get Al out of bed," Van told her, unhinging his hands and cupping her face as tenderly as he could manage. "Grab only what is important, and get you and the boys to Izumi's. We're not safe here anymore."

Shadows danced across her face as he pulled away, and he ran to the desk, grabbing every bit of paper he can. Trisha fidgeted in place for a moment, before Van turned back to her and shouted, "Go!"

Mother and son shook where they stood, before she bounced Edward higher up on her hip and dashed out of the office, through the hall, up the staircase, and into the room that he and his little brother shared.

"Mom?" Edward piped, as she flipped the ceiling light on and placed him on the ground. "Mom, what's going on? I'm scared."

Trisha knelt down to his level and ran her fingers through his hair; an action she always turned to in an attempt to comfort him. She tried to soften her eyes, but that fear was still there; he could see her lip trembling beneath her forced smile, the same way his did when he skinnned his knees.

"You know Daddy's work is special, right?" she began, and Edward nodded his head. "Well, there are some people who are jealous, and want it for bad reasons."

"Why?" he questioned, and his mother worried the inside of her lip.

"I don't know," she admitted, and gently placed a kiss atop his head. "Grab your backpack, get all of your and Al's favorite books and toys. We have to go."

She gets up and runs to his brother's bed before he can even nod.

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Edward found himself feeling nervous, as he stood in the living room of a strange woman's home; one hand clutching an old, ruddy photo album, while Alphonse tightly squeezed the other. He hated that his mom is leaving, even if its only to for the night. His dad was big and strong; he shouldn't need her to help him. Edward wanted her to stay with him, to keep him and his brother safe until dad came back, but she made a different call.

"Al is going to need you," his mother told him in the car. "You're his big brother, you've got to make him feel safe 'til we come back, okay?"

Tears and snot ran down Al's face freely as their parents headed towards the glass front door, but Ed refused to cry. He wanted to believe that his parents would be back, that everything would be okay, so tried his hardest be a tough big brother.

"…Sorry to inconvenience you," he heard his father say. "It'll only be tonight until Trisha comes back."

Panic struck him immediately. "Wait, you're not coming back with her?"

Van stared down at him, his face stony and intimidating. He wondered if his father will always seem that way to him. The tight line of his mouth quaked slightly, but his stare never wavered.

"Watch out for your brother," he finally said, and looked at both of his sons earnestly. "I expect both of you to be good."

With that, he nodded his head towards the scary woman with black hair, and her even scarier husband, and left. Trisha knelt down and hugged the both of them close to her chest. Edward could feel the fast pace beating of her heart, and he wished there was something he could do to make her feel better, but there wasn't. All he could do is hug her tighter, so he did.

"I'll be back soon," she whispered, "and we'll have a brand new house to make our own. We'll take a million pictures, and have a big play room to put new books and toys in."

Alphonse smiled at the comment, despite his runny nose and swollen eyes, but it left Edward feeling empty. She kissed the tops of both their heads, and followed their father, wiping her eyes as she exited through the glass door.

Edward watched the pair retreat towards the family car, a lump in his throat grew larger as they sped away into the night. He tried to swallow back that nasty feeling, but it grew bigger with every breath he took. Though he wouldn't ever tell Al, he wondered if that was the last time they'd ever see their parents again.

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	2. Chapter 2

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_-BEEP BEEP-_

"…Mrrpff."

_-BEEP BEEP-_

"…Hrmmphh."

_-BEEP BEEP-_

"UrggrrrhhAAAH!"

Edward slammed his hand against the clock beside his bed. Stupid fucking thing, even on the lowest setting it was still loud enough to give him a goddamn heart attack. He groaned as he rolled to his side, pulling his dark grey jersey sheets over his head as he opened his phone to set a new alarm that wouldn't give him a heart palpitation, but the sight of the time on the lock screen caused him to jerk up to a sitting position.

It was 6:45 AM. He was supposed to be leaving the house by that time.

"OH, _SHIT_!"

Wildly kicking off his blankets as he tumbled out of bed, Ed scrambling to his dresser for a set of clean clothes and jetted towards his bathroom. It was just his luck, he thought, as he plastered toothpaste on his brush and started scrubbing as he turned on the shower, that he'd sleep in on the _one day_ he needed to be at school on time.

Izumi was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper nonchalantly as he he bolted down the staircase and headed towards the fridge.

"There's bacon by the stove," she announced.

Edward raised a hand in victory as he quickly closed the fridge door and snatched the napkin-covered plate, inhaling two pieces of bacon as he grabbed a glass and filled it with water. "Do you know where my-"

"Your camera's on the living room table," she quickly replied, turning a page. "I took it off the charger for you this morning. You should be good to go."

Edward took a huge gulp from his glass and let out a sigh as he grabbed a few more strips of bacon, picked up his backpack from the coat rack beside the tiny kitchen's wall, and threw his fist up for her to bump. "You're the best."

"I know," she said unenthused, and knocked her own balled-up hand against his without ever letting her eyes leave the paper. "Hurry up, or you'll be late."

He grabbed the camera and hung it around his neck as he headed towards the front door, kicking the skateboard that stood propped up beside it to the ground, and road it out on the front porch. "Yeah, yeah! See you later!"

Grinding down the small stoop with ease, Ed kicked off as fast he could while plugging in a single headphone, letting Sound Garden's _Down on the Upside _blast through his ears. He turned off the side road on which he lived and groaned loudly as he did he best to successfully cut through the congested main street traffic. Most people would think that living in East City since birth would cause a person to grow a custom to busy streets, but Ed could never seem to do that. He grumbled as he reached an impossibly thick hoard of bastards moving all in the same direction, the direction he needed to be cruising down to get to school, and let out a breath full of curses as his phone began to ring.

"Yo," he answered, and the voice on the other line let out a sigh.

_*Where are you, Elric?* _the high, feminine voice demanded. _*I thought you said you'd be here!*_

"I'm on my way, Rose," he began, standing on his tip toes to look over the crowd, wondering why the hell they weren't moving. "Tell the committee to calm down."

Rose huffed. *_You know I can't do that. Just hurry up! We need those pictures, stat.*_

An older man in a business suit shoved past Edward, and he flipped him off. "Tell me again why I couldn't just email this? There wouldn't be a problem if I could."

*_You know how Sheska is,* _she replied. *_She reads one article saying it affects the rendering of the photos and refuses to accept anything done that way.*_

"Sheska is an idiot," he growled.

*_Not true,* _Rose argued. *_Just get here when you can. I wanted to talk to you about something.*_

"Yeah, yeah," Ed mumbled, and hung up.

Being a part of the yearbook committee was, quite honestly, the biggest regret of Ed's high school career. Sure, he enjoyed most of the "get out of class free" cards that came with being the yearbook photographer, but the deadlines and stupid rallies he had to attend for it had become too much for him to handle. He thought he'd be able to enjoy it more, knowing that his mother had done the same thing her senior year, but it made no difference. It was just a feeble attempt at feeling closer to a person that was no longer there.

Ed rubbed the back of his head through his beanie and shoved his way through the crowd. Fuck being polite, he needed to get going.

The monotonous sound of screaming teenagers could be heard long before Edward reached the squared, prison-like building called a "high school". It didn't matter the day of the week; there was always something new to gossip over, something new to cause a rally, some stupid club trying to recruit new students.

Reaching the front doors of the school, he hopped off his board and tossed it over his shoulder before the balding bastard at the back entry could give him some piss poor lecture on "where and when it is appropriate to skate". Once the old man was out of view, he dropped the board to the ground and continued riding, popping it back up only when he approached his locker.

"Hats off, Elric!" a teacher shouted as they walked past, and Ed dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Got it, Mr. Douglas," he replied, shooting the man a thumb's up, and quickly trading it for a middle finger once he turned his head.

Ed dropped his board into the bottom of the locker, while taking his loose fit beanie off and tossing it in the top cubby. Ripping a lone hairband off his wrist, he tossed his shaggy, golden hair into a small ponytail and slammed the locker door shut, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw the dark-haired, violet-eyed girl glaring at him only inches away.

"About time you got here!" Rose exclaimed, and held her manicured fingers out infront of him. "The flash-drive, please."

Ed rolled his eyes and removed his backpack, taking the item out of a small front pocket and smacked it into her palm. "Here, now can you quit bugging?"

The girl let out a long huff, blowing her raspberry dyed bangs high above her forehead.

"It's senior year," she replied bluntly. "I'll quit bugging when I have a diploma in my hand and a college picked."

Ed rolled his eyes as he threw his backpack over a single shoulder. "You still haven't picked?"

Rose clicked her tongue against her teeth. "More like still waiting on acceptance letters," but her stressed tone quickly switched to a shrill sound as she began to jump in place. "Anyways! Like I was saying over the phone, I wanted to ask you something!"

"If it's about prom, I told you I'm not going," he snapped. "You need to get another photographer."

"It's not about that," she retorted, and her eyes softened. "I wanted to ask you about Pitt."

Ed's brow furrowed. "What about him?"

The girl fumbled with her bag as she hooked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm worried he's getting bullied again."

His eyes rolled involuntarily. Rose, despite being unreasonably kind, was quite possibly the biggest helicopter friend Ed had ever seen. Nosey as can be, and involving herself in everyone's business, she couldn't seem to grasp when someone genuinely needed help, and when they just needed to work through their problems on their own.

"Rose, you've got to quit coddling people," he told her. "Pitt's not helpless."

"He came into class yesterday with a swollen eye," she informed. "I'm worried about him, Edward."

"And just what do you want me to do about it?" Ed replied, flinging an arm in the air. "One more fight and I'm kicked out, remember?"

Rose deadpanned. "I don't want you to fight anyone, just… See if he'll talk to you? It might be easier for him."

Scratching his chin, Ed let out a sigh. "Fine, but only if you promise to stop bugging me."

"It's my job as head of Yearbook Committee," she state.d " I still can't believe you'd rather us hire a professional for Prom."

She smirked slightly and twirled in front of him, walking backwards to face him. "You know, I'm pretty sure Winry's still going solo."

"Not this again," grumbled Ed, smacking a hand to his face.

Rose shrugged her shoulders and titled her head to the side. "_But _if what I heard earlier is true, it might be too late for you to ask."

Ed knew this was a trap, but he let out a groan and took the bait.

"Oh, what _did_ you hear, Rose?" he asked sarcastically.

Suddenly, Rose twirled back to his side and jerked him out of the middle of the hall and towards the lockers.

"I heard from someone," she whispered, as if she were talking about some kind of government scandal, "that she and Russell Tringham are talking."

Edward snorted in disbelief. "Not her type."

"That's not what I heard," Rose replied, her eyes wide and lips pressed together tightly, but Ed still wasn't convinced.

Winry Rockbell, a fellow classmate and longtime friend, was quiet possibly the epitome of the word, "ambitious". The Robotics Club, Student Council, Computer Club, and G-SA were only a sample of the many after school curricula to which she dedicated herself; not to mention, she was easily one of the top candidates for Valedictorian.

Russell was a classic, egocentric jock. Though Ed begrudgingly could admit that he was a threat in classes like biology and geology, the guy tossed all smarts aside once he got a taste of popularity. Winry? Talking to _Russell_? He wouldn't be able to hold a single conversation with her.

Then again… Perhaps it wasn't conversations that they were holding.

Shaking his head, Ed scoffed loudly. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From Russell," she said, and Ed's pace slowed. "I overheard him this morning with a couple of his basketball buddies."

"What'd he say?" he asked.

Rose sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Well, since you don't know, I'd rather _not_ say. I wanted to talk to Win, but I haven't seen her in the halls yet. I'm surprised you don't seem to know anything, since you two are always-"

Ed crinkled his nose. "Always what?"

Rose deadpanned. "Come _on_, Ed. Quit playing it like that."

_And there it goes._

Ed rolled his eyes and walked ahead, leaving Rose as she stopped by the doors of her homeroom. "I'm not _playing_ anything. We're just friends."

He could hear her shout, "Quit lying to yourself, Elric!" in an obnoxious, singsong tone, but he continued to walk away.

It didn't seem to matter how many times he told that girl that nothing was going on between him and their friend, she wouldn't let the issue go. Ed had no intention of being romantically involved with anyone. It was pointless, really, especially when he thought about it in terms of statistics. Wasn't it only 2% of high school sweethearts actually end up getting married? Even if that was a slight approximation, it was enough for Ed to know that romance was fleeting, and he didn't need any of that. There was already too much in his life that wasn't permanent.

Muttering to himself, Ed switched the light setting on his camera and headed towards the courtyard doors. He still had some time to take a few random photos of the morning before the bell rang for homeroom; he might as well use it.

He just barely noticed the basketball before it zoomed past his head, nearly clobbering him.

Turning on his heels, Ed immediately spotted Russell Tringham, as well as a few of his dickhead basketball teammates, walking in his direction.

"Morning Elric," Russell shouted, with a shit-eating grin, and faked passing the ball towards his head in an attempt to make him jump, but did not prevail.

Ed glared him down, contemplating how pissed his friend would be if he clobbered the shit out of this giant ass weed of a kid, should they actually be talking.

"Fuck off, Tringham," he growled, and shoulder checked the jackass as they crossed paths.

He was nearly four feet away when a basketball smacked him in the back of the head. He jerked around to strike the son of a bitch back, but noticed that a teacher had seen the act and was already chastising him.

Parts of him wanted to just blast over anyway and sock the bastard clean in the jaw, but it wouldn't have done him any good. He would have ended up getting expelled, and Ed feared Izumi's reaction more than he wanted to rearrange Russell's face. Clenching and unclenching his fist, Ed slowly began to walk away, still wishing he could punch Russell's stupid smirk into the ground.

The courtyard was often filled with seniors before the school day began. Most underclassmen were too nervous to come out in this area, which proved to be a trend that transcended through every class that came through the high school. By the end of the year, the juniors would start flocking to this little bit of space and start the cycle over. He didn't really care, though; the faster that happened, the closer he was to getting the hell out of there.

Holding the camera up towards the sky, he zoomed in on the nearby clouds, examining just how clear the detail came through the lens.

"Damn near perfect," he muttered to himself, and snapped a shot before moving the lens down to the courtyard, and landed on one of his favorite people to tease: Winry Rockbell.

She was sitting on the top of a picnic table, reading intently. Her long blonde hair was tied in the sloppy ponytail he had grown accustomed to seeing her wear. She twirled the ends between her fingers as she idly flipped the pages of her book.

Ed quietly walked up to her, camera still at the ready, and flicked a button before snapping a close up photo. The brightness of the flash broke her concentration immediately, causing her to jump and flinch as the camera '_clicked'_.

"You know," Ed started, as Winry blinked in surprise, "I don't think reading manga is going to help you ace that chemistry midterm."

"Ha-ha," she responded dryly, shooting him a dirty glance before going back to her reading. "Being as I've got the highest grade in the class, I think I'll be fine."

Ed stomped onto the seat and propped down on the table beside her, causing Winry to huff as he leaned over her shoulder.

"Highest grade, huh?" he mocked. "I didn't think they made grades higher than 100."

"Try 115," she jeered, slapping her volume shut as she smirked obnoxiously. "_I _do extra credit."

Ed rolled his eyes and glanced down at the manga under her hands, and let out and exasperated breath. "You're reading Sailor Moon _again_?"

A blush took Winry's cheeks as she quickly shoved the volume into her messenger bag. "What?! I like it!"

"For Christ's sake, Win," he exclaimed, his smile widening as her face turned red. "Give another shitty manga a chance!"

Clusters of their peers began to walk by them at a fast pace, no doubt heading off to their homerooms before the bell rang. Winry looked as though she were going to shrink inside of her oversized sweater as passersbys turned to see what the hell he was yelling about. The tip of her nose was a violent shade of scarlet, and Ed beamed as her mouth turned into that small little pissed off line he knew too well, waiting with a chuckle in his throat for her to snap back.

"Oh yeah?" she spat, her cheeks bubbling as she eyed Edward's red flannel, grey joggers and band tee. "Well, the eighties called! They want Judd Nelson's wardrobe back!"

"I'm pretty sure Nirvana was a nineties band," he retorted, right as a group of girls walked past them; one in particular, with long legs and even longer, black hair, was grinning very flirtatiously at Edward.

She ran a hand through her hair before waving at him with a soft curl of her fingers. "Hey, Ed."

Winry's eyes squinted at the sound of her voice, and she turned to see her, still smiling.

"Seems Claus over there likes my sense of style quite well," Ed said cockily.

Her top lip curled, but she remained calm and composed as she grabbed her bag and flung the strap across her shoulder. "Well, that's her prerogative."

Ed shot Claus a smile as she went in the building, but when Winry got up from her spot and began to walk away, Ed ran across the table and jumped in front of her. He didn't like letting their playful bickering end with stupid little jabs like that. Plus, his conversation with Rose got him curious as to what her relationship might be with the Tringham bastard. How would he ask her about it, though?

"Speaking of prerogatives," he began, and moved to her side as they continued walking. "I hear you and Russell have been getting chummy."

_Nice one, Ed_, he thought. _Just dive right in._

Winry's eyes widened at the comment, but she remained composed as she spat, "Why do you care?"

Ed was taken aback by the bite in her voice. "Just curious, Win. Damn! I thought we were friends."

They went quiet for a moment. Ed stared her down as they continued to walk side by side. Winry turned her face away from him; her ears were still slightly pink from her earlier embarrassment.

Eventually, he huffed and began to walk ahead. "Thought you'd have better taste in guys, too."

Ed didn't have a chance to get far, however, because Winry grabbed his shoulder almost immediately, and twisted him around to face her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He stared at her perplexed. "You're not talking to Russell?"

Her face flushed that damned scarlet color almost immediately. "_Talking_? I've been _tutoring_ him!"

Ed thought he was going to bust a gut from the laughter that was brewing within him, but the sound of shouting within the school quickly cut him off. They both looked towards the entrance to the school; kids were all running in the same direction in the halls.

"Sounds like a fight," Ed said with a smile.

"Not again," muttered Winry, and the two ran inside.

They reached a congested impasse of students within minutes of being inside the building. A fight had definitely broken out with the corner hall underneath the staircase; quite honestly the perfect spot to brawl before a teacher showed. Winry helped lift herself by pushing off on one of Ed's shoulders, in an attempt to see past pumping fists and the heads of students chanting, "Fight!"

"You get a good look?" Ed joked, until he caught sight of his friend, Pitt, in the middle of the crowd.

Whoever he was fighting sure did a number on the kid; his swollen eye looked like it had been struck again, and the side of his face was red from contact. The front of his shirt was muddied with the blood that was dripping from his freckled nose, and Ed mentally berated himself for not taking Rose's worry more seriously.

From around the corner, Ed saw Russell storm out from a spot concealed by the stairs and shove Pitt into the nearby lockers. His fist balled immediately, and he began to push his way through the crowd of whooping kids.

"Want to say that again, Renbak?" he heard Russell shout, as he grabbed a fistful of Pitt's bloodied shirt.

Ed broke through the student barrier just as Russell smashed his friend into the lockers again, and ran over right as the bastard began to raise his fist.

"Knock it off, Tringham!" Ed shouted, and shoved the guy off of Pitt before he could swing, causing him to almost fumble backward into the crowd, and with a swift turn, looked to Pitt. "You alright, man?"

Wiping his upper lip with the sleeve of his hoodie, Pitt gave him a comical smile. "Oh, just incredible, thanks!"

Typical Pitt, Ed thought. The kid was a small, curly-haired, freckled-face ball of fire. He'd always been that way, and they'd gotten into plenty of fights, much like this one, because of it.

"You should've stayed out of this, Elric!" Russell shouted, and took a threatening step towards them, until Winry stormed her away in between the three boys.

"You know, Russell," she began, her nostrils flared and eyes penetrating through the gangly athlete, "I had hoped you'd use this morning to study for that midterm retake you've got coming Monday! Such a shame you used it to fight my friends and lose me as your tutor!"

Russell's face turned white, and the entire crowd went silent as she continued. "I wonder what your dad will say when I tell him I won't be helping you pass your midterm? Do you think the coach will let you stay on the team with a failing grade? I've got to be honest, I'm very disappointed."

The bell rang as she finished, and the crowd began to dissipate as Winry continued to glare menacingly at Russell. Ed had never seen Winry look so angry; he had to admit, it was rather attractive.

"Whatever," Tringham muttered, and walked away from the scene as fast as possible, undoubtedly humiliated.

The intense aggression that had overtaken Winry immediately transfigured into concern as she twirled her heels and ran towards Ed and Pitt.

"Oh, God. You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, taking Pitt's face in her hands and examining his wounds. "We need to get you to the nurse. Can you walk?"

Pitt's expression was dazed as her hands retracted from him. "Uh, yeah. Yeah I can-I can do that."

"Good," she smiled, and turned to Ed. "You coming, too?"

"Eh, why the hell not?" Ed shrugged. "I'm already late for homeroom."

The nurse all but shrieked when the three of them walked into her office. Practically jumping out of her seat to attend to Pitt, she scolded Edward and Winry for missing homeroom, stating "It did not take three people to get a student to the nurse." Despite that, she still gave them both passes back to class, and said they wouldn't be marked tardy for the act, _this _time.

As they walked out of the office and down the hall, Winry let out a shaky breath. "I didn't even think about getting in trouble for tardiness."

Ed laughed. "You're joking, right?"

"I'm sorry," Winry scoffed. "Does me caring about my school record amuse you so?"

Ed lightly checked her shoulder with his. "Chill out, Rockbell. The worst case scenario, you get told to watch the time closer. They don't dish detentions for missing ten minutes of announcements."

"I'd rather not test it," she replied, and stopped beside her homeroom door. "See you in a few."

Ed nodded, and continued down the hall to his homeroom alone.

Mr. Hakuro was baffled at the sight of an actual note excusing his tardiness, and Edward smirked as he watched the man erase the 'T' beside his name and replace it with a 'checkmark'. Taking his seat in the back of the room, he zoned in and out of the monotonous morning announcements, looking forward to an easy school day, all thanks to chemistry.

Field trips in high school hardly held the glamour they once had in his youth, being as there were still assignments to do and the teachers were even bigger jack asses, but it beat sitting in a stuffy classroom that smelled vaguely of spoiled Campbell's soup and body odor, while listening to drawn out speeches read from notes off of PowerPoint. Plus, this field-trip would be located in a place Ed actually found interesting. When the dismissal bell finally rang, Ed bounced out of his seat and headed towards the labs on the second floor to meet with his class, finding himself growing a little more excited by the second.

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	3. Chapter 3

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"I can't believe they didn't send you home!" Winry gasped from her bus seat opposite of Ed and Pitt, causing his friend to shrug his shoulders awkwardly. "Not that I didn't want you to be here today, but you got pretty banged up!"

"I'm fine, Winry, really!" Pitt replied, leaning over Ed and smiling at the girl as best he could without causing his cheek pain. "Besides, I'd hate to miss a chance to tour YaoCorp. It's my dream to work there."

Winry let out a wistful sigh and flopped back into her seat. "Mine too. Their robotics program is simply to die for."

Pit leaned further over Ed, making him elicit a grunt of disproval, and said. "I can see you doing that, no problem. I mean, your grandma's still with them, right? They could have a legacy of amazing Rockbell women!"

"Thank you," Winry smiled, "and no, she's not an employee. She runs her own small business, but YaoCorp hires her on for a lot of projects."

Pitt leaned further. "That's awesome!"

"Not as awesome as you getting the hell off me," Ed exasperated, and, palming his friend's face as softly as possible, shoved Pitt away from him and back into his spot on the seat. "Why did I sit in between you two again?"

"It's just one of the many ways the universe decided to punish you," Winry quipped, with a smirk.

Ed cocked an eyebrow at her. "Punish me for what?"

"Existing," she said smartly.

After a half an hour of banter and threats from the teacher, they finally arrived at the massive estate that was YaoCorp, better known as a beacon of scientific progress for all of mankind. Located in the heart of East City, YaoCorp has been the leading company in advancements in the medical field; curing fatal diseases through cell research, and reinventing the city with clean energy power sources. It was a global tycoon, but it was doing an insane amount of good, and that was something hard to find in today's world.

The class swarmed behind its professor as they reach the front steps of the enormous, looming buildings. The place was like his nerd-boy dream; aesthetically gorgeous on the outside for photography, and filled with enough scientific prowess on the inside to make his brain burst. Ed gaped at their structure openly, pulling his camera up slowly to his eye and snapping shots of the sunlight glinting off the iridescently colored windows and new-aged architecture.

"Alright, class!" Mr. Smith boomed. "Today we'll be taking a tour of YaoCorp's medical branch, specifically in the areas pertaining to formulating cures for diseases. Questions about the reactions between chemical make-ups _will be on the mid-term_, so make sure you answer your worksheets, participate in questions, and pay attention." He motioned to a sophisticated woman in a deep purple, blazer-skirt combo, tightly gripping a clipboard. "This is Ms. Lyra McDougal. She will be our guide through the tour."

Lyra McDougal, a young and rather pretty woman, smiled politely at the crowd of students, though Ed could tell it didn't quite reach her violet eyes. "Welcome, East City High, to YaoCorp. As your professor has so kindly announced, I will be your guide this afternoon. Please feel free to ask any questions as we go through our tour."

Pitt leaned towards Edward and whispered, "Is 'will you bear my children' an appropriate question?"

"Save that for the biology trip," Ed muttered back.

The class moved into a spherical, glass building. Lyra directed them to all stand closely together on a white platform, and when the class crammed together as tightly as possible, she tapped a lit tile with her foot. A burst of numbers projected from the spot, wowing everyone that surrounded her. With tap of her pen to a projection stating, "level .03", the platform became completely illuminated with a soft white glow, and descended into the ground, revealing itself as a fully glass, cylinder elevator, taking them to an underground lab.

"This is where our tour will begin," Lyra announced, swiftly twirling from her spot to face the class; her short, dark hair swaying with her movements. "The department you see in front of you is our security and entry gates. Your approval code to enter the lab is printed atop your questionnaire papers."

From her clipboard, the woman pulled off a stack of papers, and handed it to the students closest to her. "Each of you, please take one page from the pile. When we arrive at the gate, make sure to scan your paper under the blue light and move swiftly. The codes encrypted will only work once, so if you don't pass through the gate in time, you could very well be left behind."

The stack reached Ed, and he lazily plucked from the pile, while laughing at Pitt's fumbling when Lyra reached for the stack and lightly grazed his chest. His face flushed red when she took her place back in the front of the class, and a hand pressed down on Ed's shoulder, causing him to turn and see Winry smiling.

"Talk about a lady killer," she chuckled, and Pitt glared darkly at the two of them as they tried to stifle their laughter.

When they reach the ground floor, the glass of the elevator seemingly dissolved into a perfect opening accommodating the size of the class. Lyra walked promptly off the platform and out onto marbled flooring; her heels '_clicked' _against the ground as though they demanded to be followed. With muffled words and gasps, the class stepped out and took in an open, pristine view of the entrance to YaoCorp's medical research wing.

Ed felt as though he stepped onto the set of a futuristic, utopian movie set; the doctors and scientists moved together urgently, flashing projections of research and remodeling their equations as they headed in and out of the gateways. It left him completely awestruck to see such incredible technology. He could tell the robotics geek within Winry was having a field day, by the way her hands shot straight to her mouth.

Finally, they arrived at the gates, or, to be more accurate, four large poles that were placed in front of the medical entryway.

"Before any of you attempt to run past me," Lyra projected. "These pillars produce one tenth an ampere of electricity when trying to enter the labs without proper approval. Can someone tell me how much electricity it takes to kill a person?"

The class went silent. Only Winry raised her hand.

"It depends on the power of the surge," she began, "but it's a proven fact that no person could survive the shock that would come from an amp of electricity. A tenth of an amp would kill a person in seconds."

"Two seconds, to be exact," Lyra smiled. "Which is why all of you must be cautious when entering your passes. Once you scan your code, move as swiftly as possible through the pillars until you've entered the lab. You only have a twenty-second window to reach the lab doors, before the pillars are reactivated. The guards will assist you, should you need it."

Ed felt his heartbeat begin to race. Just what the hell were they doing in there that caused them to take such intense precautions?! Slowly, and nervously, the students lined up to the small podiums that stood approximately four feet away from the pillars of death, and laid their paper down atop the blue beacon of light emitted from it's top. One by one, Ed watched his fellow classmates run like hell towards the metal doors that led to YaoCorp's laboratories.

When it was time for him to scan, he quietly told his nerves to "Shut the fuck up", and steeled himself for the run. Taking the paper in his hand, he laid the code down and waited for the 'all clear'. Glancing down and the page, he was shocked to see that two barcodes appeared through the beam. Taking his thumb and middle finger, he rubbed the paper slightly, and realized he had two pages stuck together. Quickly, he removed one from the other and crumbled it into a ball, pocketing it and hoping it wouldn't affect his chances of being approved to go through. Within seconds, the dinging sound rang from the podium, the security officer beyond the gate gave him a thumb's up, and Ed ran as fast as possible towards the door. He barely stopped himself from banging into the thick, metal door before sliding past it and into the most incredible place Ed had ever seen.

He knew the labs in YaoCorp were breathtaking, but this was ridiculous. The last of his class came pouring in from behind, and Lyra waited patiently for them all to collect themselves before speaking.

"Glad to see you all made it in one piece," she announced. "By the way, I was joking about the electrical surge. It's only powerful enough to temporarily paralyze non-authorized personnel, much like a Taser. We just like to tease newcomers with the ampere nonsense."

Ed could have sworn he heard Winry mutter, "Bitch" under her breath.

The group soon continued on to the depths of the underground branch, gaping at the white walls and advanced technology that riddled the area. Lyra stopped the group in front of a giant, circular hologram of mathematical and scientific equations, and tapped a frazzled looking scientist on the shoulder, signaling him of the students.

"Welcome to the medical database of YaoCorp," she introduced, and gestured to the man beside her. "This is Dr. Shou Tucker, one of the world's greatest authorities on cell research, as well as cross genetics."

Ed raised his brow in surprise as he watched the man fidget in place. Nothing about him, from his deeply engraved worry lines, to his frumpy clothes and five o'clock shadow, seemed to emit the title of 'great scientific mind'. Then again, Ed concluded that spending all of one's time in a laboratory cracking equations that could someday save millions from an incurable disease could cause a person to seem at least a little disheveled.

"Hello, everyone," Dr. Tucker said, his voice mild and unintimidating. "It's lovely to have you here."

Mr. Smith stepped over to Lyra's side, folding his hands across his front and leaning forward as he spoke. "Dr. Tucker, I was wondering if you could talk to my students a little about chemistry components involved in your work?"

"Oh," the doctor responded, removing his round spectacles and cleaning them nervously on his shirt. "Well, uh. I suppose in my line of research, there's more biology than chemistry… However, the fundamentals of a chemical reaction are very important when finding cures to certain diseases." He turned to the class and gave a frail smile. "Hmm. Does anyone know, what cancer most commonly attacks in the human body?"

"Cell division," Ed answered, without missing a beat. "Damaged cells will start to divide uncontrollably and create tumors, and other issues."

The doctor gave Ed a genuine grin. "That's correct. Now, I'm my field of study, we strive to solve the equation that disease create in the body. What reaction is proper reaction to eradicate this problem? What component is missing from the equation?"

Shoving his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, Dr. Tucker strolled a few steps, in thought, and asked, "Now, can anyone tell me what animal is immune to cancer?"

The class was silent.

Ed rolled his eyes and replied, not noticing Winry's hand rising behind him. "The naked mole rat. Its body produces HMW-HA, making it immune."

"Correct again," the doctor announced. "Now, imagine if we could take that component, and have it bond with our chemical makeup? We'd be able to eradicate cancerous diseases from the human race entirely!"

"Yeah, if you can get over losing your hair," a student muttered, and the class began to snigger.

"As incredible as that theory sounds," Ed shouted over the group. "Don't you think that could end up causing new diseases? I mean, you're talking about splicing our gene pool with that of another species, like some kind of humanoid chimera."

Dr. Tucker chuckled, "How funny of you to say that," and squinted in Ed's direction. "What's your name, Sir?"

"Edward Elric," Mr. Smith quickly responded. "Smart kid, he's number two in the class."

"Told you," Winry whispered to him.

Dr. Tucker's expression seemed to shift upon hearing Ed's name. "Elric, huh?"

He glanced back at the hologram of equations, then back to the class. "Well, I better get back to work. Keep your minds sharp, kids," and looked to Edward. "You too, Mr. Elric."

Something set off deep within Edward's belly. He wasn't sure just what, but he knew it wasn't right. He had an inkling that something about his name bothered the doctor, but why?

Ed couldn't shake that feeling for the entirety of the trip, but by the end of it, he figured out why.

The rest of the trip was spent in technological awe. The scientists and doctors that littered the rest of the labs had no problem showing off their high-tech gizmos for the sake of keeping the class' short attention span. The place was definitely a robotics lover's paradise; he could tell from the way Winry was constantly gasping behind him.

Before departing through a new elevator to ascend back above ground, Lyra led the students to a hall of honorary contributors to YaoCorp's medical advancements. Pointing to a large portrait of Mr. Yao himself, Lyra began what sounded like a perfectly recited speech on the founder of 'this great company'. Ed chuckled as she began to speak about his family life, causing Pitt to nudge him in the side.

"What's so funny?" he inquired.

Ed raised a hand to his mouth to help recompose, then said. "I went to the same boarding school as this guy's son freshman year, and I can tell you for certain, that bastard is not a family man."

"What?" Pitt replied. "No way!"

Ed nodded his head. "As Ling would say, he's probably knuckle deep in some Cretan model right now."

A slap to the back of the head caused him to jerk around and meet Winry's glare. "That's disgusting, Ed."

"His words, not mine," stated Edward, smiling crookedly, but Winry rolled her eyes in response and pushed the boy ahead.

The hall of portraits was surprisingly interesting, despite Lyra's lackluster speeches. Ed stared at each face closely, analyzing the detail of each shot taken and how much detail the cameras were able to capture. He was in the middle of dissecting the quality of a portrait of a man named 'Yoki', when he heard Lyra say a name he hadn't heard in a decade.

"Van Hohenheim," she droned, not knowing how the mention of that man's name caused Ed's entire body to go numb, "was one of the sound minds working on cell research, alongside Dr. Tucker. His research was seemingly almost complete, but unfortunately, he, as well as his fiancée, passed tragically in 2002."

The class moved on from the portrait slowly, causing Ed to shove his way through the crowd in order to reach it. His heart leapt from its place in his chest and launched itself within his throat, when his eyes made contact with the image of his fathers.

His expression was complacent, but there was a glint in his eye that seemed longing of something. Ed had his mother's old photo album, but seeing his father out of the captured moments he had grown to know was… well, he couldn't really describe it.

"Hey, what's wro-" he heard Pitt start, but a '_Shh!_' from Winry quickly shut him up.

He could feel the two of them stand at his side. A hand rested on his shoulder, and he glanced back to see Winry staring at the photo as well.

She took a step closer to him, analyzing the man's features. "This was…"

"My dad," Ed finished.

Pitt moved towards the portrait, his jaw hanging down low as he noticed the same golden eyes Ed and his father bore. "Your _dad?_ He was a scientist here?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like it."

The curly haired boy's expression became perplexed, as he turned to gape at Ed. "How'd you not know that your dad worked here?"

"He's been dead since I was five," Ed snapped. "I didn't really get the chance to ask him."

Pitt's head bobbed backward, slightly shocked, but he relaxed his body and ran a hand though his curly hair. "Sorry, man. I didn't know."

Ed gave the picture one more look, analyzing the face of the man he barely recognized, despite knowing that he should. It ate away him, knowing that this father held a piece of himself in this place that he'd most likely never know, much like anything about his old man. His parents were an enigma to him; the more he tried to know, the less he understood of them. Ed shoved his hands deep in his pockets, then shook his head before walking back towards the group.

"Don't... Don't worry about it," he said. "Let's just go."

:

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Author's Note: I am by no means a scientific mind, so if any of my readers are and notice that I've written something wonky, just let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

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The ride back to East City High was rather quiet. Edward took the window seat on the bus and plugged in his headphones for the entirety of the journey, refusing to even look over at his friends. The only time he responded to anything was when Pitt tapped him on the shoulder and told him the bus had arrived back at campus.

Mr. Smith collected everyone's assignments as they sat on the bus, and thanked the class for a problem-free visit. Ed huffed loudly at that comment. Sure, it was "problem-free" for the teacher, the class, and possibly everyone else, but not for him.

Winry could tell he was still feeling incredibly uneasy, and tugged on the sleeve of his shirt as they stepped off the bus.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked him, clutching her tote bag tightly to her side, and swiping her long bangs out of her face.

"What?" he asked, blinking profusely.

She rolled her eyes and placed her hand on his upper arm.

"Are you going to be okay?" she repeated.

She stared openly at him, waiting for a response, and Ed felt as though he were going to shrink away under her gaze. He wasn't used to seeing genuine worry in her expression, at least when it was directed to him. He was thrown quite off guard and wasn't sure how to respond to it. So, in his ever suave and well-mannered way, he rolled his eyes turned his back towards her.

"I'll be fine," he responded, and brushed her hand away, while also making sure to add a level of irritation to his voice when he said. "Stop worrying so much."

He could hear her let out a small sigh and mutter something under her breath, but rather than try to decipher just what it was, he continued on towards the school.

Upon entering the building, everyone was informed that there was a little under a half hour left of their final class, and they were to head there immediately. Winry and Pitt left his side to find their lockers and grab their books, but Ed dismissed the idea of joining them. Something about History class was sounding even more morbidly awful than usual. No, he decided he's much rather skip it and ride his board the long way home, to hell with his attendance record, anyway.

He found himself growing more and more angry as he rode across the uneven sidewalk, the more he thought about his father. How could he not know he was a scientist that worked for YaoCorp? Hell, how did not know his dad was fucking scientist?! He could remember his father being gone constantly in the name of work, but he never just what kind of work he was doing. His parents were as much as mystery to him as they were to the world. This, to him, was a serious problem, and Ed never left a problem unsolved. He had a mathematical mindset; when an equation or situation called for a solution, he didn't rest until he found it, and in that moment, as he sped along the jagged road and down the street to his guardians' home, the irrefutable desire to solve the enigma that was his parents' existence was overtaking him, bit by bit.

He wanted to know what his parents were like outside of his clouded childhood memories. He wanted to ask why Izumi and Sig, his legal guardians, never spoke about his folks.

Most of all, he wanted to talk to his little brother.

Izumi was sweeping the porch when Ed arrived home. She placed a hand on her hip and eyed him curiously as he walked up the front steps.

"You're home early," she stated.

Ed shrugged his shoulders, shifting the board's weight as he opened the front door. "Field trip, remember?"

He entered the house before she could get another word out.

Dropping his board by the entryway, Ed bolted up the stairs and towards his room in a stampede of urgency. He checked the time of his phone. It was 2:51; Al would be heading back to his dorm for about an hour break before he started his Xingese lessons. That'd be plenty of time to fill him in on the bullshit he just found out.

The bedroom was small, but it was plenty big enough for Ed's minimal amount of furniture, consisting of a bed, small bookcase, and desk. Clothing, notes, and a cornucopia of other random things decorated the grey carpeting, while posters of Ed's various likes and hobbies covered the dark navy walls. Tossing his backpack to the floor, Ed collapsed into the computer chair that stood in the middle of the room, and slid towards the iMac on his photo-cluttered desk. He turned on FaceTime, clicked on 'Alphonse Elric', and slunk deep into his chair as he waited for his brother to answer.

Having Alphonse live away at school was, quite honestly, incredibly hard on him. Ever since he could remember, he and his brother had been completely inseparable; he supposed losing their parents had been the main cause. When Ed left Izumi's his freshman year to attend the boarding school his father had in his youth, the toll of being away from his only family hit him hard. Though he was successful in his academics, he didn't hold the proper emotional valor that 'Central Academy' required, meaning he had too wild of a temper and was constantly getting into fights. Though the school had been lenient in the beginning, due to his being a legacy and having exceptional grades, he was asked not to return to the school at the end of his first year.

He had hoped that Alphonse would dismiss the idea of going to the academy once he had finally come back home, but he chose differently. Ed wasn't upset, though; the school had done wonders for his sensitive little brother's self-confidence. Where Ed needed freedom, Al needed structure. The frail little boy that he felt inclined to protect was turning into his own person, and Ed wouldn't ever want to remove Al from something that was helping him so greatly. That being said, they did whatever they could to make the distance between them less of an ordeal, which consisted mostly of video chatting at random hours of the day.

The ringing stopped, and a fuzzy picture of Al came to view on the screen. *Hello?*

"Hey little brother," Ed beamed; damn, it was nice to be able to see him.

Al let out a long groan, causing the camera to shake. _*Man, am I happy you called.*_

Ed chuckled. "What? Is Xerxes finally starting to give you a hard time?"

_*Starting to?* _Al moaned, running a hand down his face_. *These AP classes are killing me! I'm so ready for this semester to end, brother. I've been dreaming about my bed for weeks!*_

"Eh, you've only got two weeks before Spring Break," commented Ed.

_*That's a tease, brother,*_ Al replied, glaring at the camera._ *Anyway, how'd your field trip go?*_

The strain of questions that had filled his head before were slowly pushing back to the forefront of his mind.

"About that," he said. "Did you know Dad worked at YaoCorp?"

His brother's face went blank. _*What?*_

"That's what I said, too," Ed replied, and scooted the chair closer to the screen. "He was a leading scientist in the medical field."

Al's brow furrowed; the quality of his phone camera wasn't the greatest, but Ed could see the millions of questions building behind his eyes. _*How did you find this out?*_

"Apparently, YaoCorp has a Hall of Fame for every employee that died, made a difference, or donated a shit ton of money," Ed sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I saw his picture there."

_*Whoa.*_

"Yeah."

The brothers went silent, communicating only through wide, questioning eyes as they gaped at nothing. Ed could tell his brother was feeling just as confused and awestruck as him, but there was also a thought brewing in his brother's mind that hadn't quite come to his own just yet.

_*Brother,* _Al finally said._ *Izumi told us she knew our dad through work, right? That's… how they became friends?*_

Ed felt his insides shift. "She did."

The camera's pixilation became clearer as Al entered his dorm and sat on his bed._ *Why would she never tell us that?*_

Ed brought a hand to his mouth and thought hard. Izumi had made comments of them being old work buddies, but all he ever knew of Izumi's work life was when she was a dojo instructor. What the hell would she be working with a scientist for; more importantly, what was she not telling them about her past with their father?

"I don't know," Ed muttered, "but I'm gonna find out."

:  
Dinner that night was quiet, and rather awkward. Fridays at the house were Sig's dietary cheat nights, which meant it was usually filled with fast food and rather lively chitchat, but with everything that going was on Ed's mind, he couldn't make himself come off as 'lively'. Both Sig and Izumi caught on to this immediately, as they watched their godson with keen eyes while he grabbed his fourth slice of pizza. Ed, however, didn't bother making eye contact with anyone; he cared more about getting his fill of food, before finally moving into the conversation that would no doubt start a fight, which would most likely lead him to be locked away in his room for possibly the whole weekend.

To put it simply, Ed was very much a fighter. He lived for conflict; be it from a physical form of aggression or verbal confrontation. So what if some teenage punk grew to hate him for his sharp tongue and even sharper right hook? The adrenaline that surged through him when he felt the spark of agitation was enough to make him want just that. Seeing the frustration build up in a person he was antagonizing was what made him really feel alive, but it didn't have to always be in such intense situations. It was the main reason he teased friends like Winry; to see that rise of anger in them, while knowing it was, in fact, completely harmless.

However, when it came to family, Ed hated fighting.

The act of taunting or bickering with one another wasn't lost to his patchwork of a family. Izumi was probably the most sarcastic, stone cold person Ed believed he'd ever encounter, dishing out sass with a consistency he only wished he could emulate. Sig was a quiet man, but he held within him a similar snark-filled fire. His remarks were far and few in between, but they packed a ridiculous punch, and Ed and Al were constantly picking fun at each other for any reason they deemed worthy of ridicule. However, it never went passed that.

The thought of reaching a point where Izumi or Sig, especially Al, could possibly grow to hate him was one of Ed's greatest fears. He'd seen disappoint in his godmother's eyes enough to know that he never wanted to see what true disdain would look like as it stained their onyx hue. Ed never wanted to reach a point where someone he called 'family' could grow to hate him, therefore he did his best to avoid fighting, or at least truly fighting, with any of them.

"Edward," Sig's deep, throaty voice boomed. "How was the field trip today; did you get any good pictures?"

Ed leaned back in chair, causing the legs to bounce against the wooden dining room floor. Izumi stared unwaveringly at him, an eyebrow arched as she awaited his answer.

"Yeah," he finally said. "It was fine, I got a few shots."

Sig nodded his head, grunting his understanding, and the table went silent again.

Ed stared out at the both of them, anger and frustration brewing deep within his belly and stirring up into full-blown rage. How the hell could they act so calm and collected? How can they look him in the eye and act like nothing's wrong, like them knowing so much about his parents and him knowing nothing is perfectly fine? How many times did they lie to him when he was a child, asking questions about his mother and father's lives and feeding him with half-truths or pushing the topic aside?

His fists began to shake atop of the table, and Izumi noticed.

"Edward, what's wro-"

"Why didn't you tell me my dad worked for YaoCorp?"

Sig and Izumi went rigid; the latter's eyes grew wide as her husband sat his large hands down on the table slowly.

"It didn't really seem important," Izumi stated quickly. "We'll talk more about it later, eat your food."

Ed's scowl grew deeper as the pair continued to stare at their plates. He knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to avoid the subject by pushing it aside, and he was having none of it

"Is that it?" he spat. "Is that really all you have to say?!"

"Edward," Izumi started, her expression steely and authoritative. "Now is not the time-"

"Well _when_ will it be?" he shouted, "Do you have any idea what it was like to find out more about my dad in a school lecture than I've been told by my guardians in thirteen years?" Ed stood abruptly from his seat and pounded his hands against the table. "I know nothing about my mom, aside from the fact that she liked to take pictures, and my dad's still as much a fucking mystery as her! God damn it! Just how much have you been holding back from Al and me?"

Izumi stomped to her feet and slammed her chair into the nearby wall. "DO NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE IN MY HOME!"

"WE HAVE A RIGHT TO _KNOW_!" Ed screamed, but before he could feel the icy coldness of fear take over from the death glare Izumi was giving him, Sig stood from the table as well, placing a hand in front of his wife, and pointing the other towards the staircase.

"Go," he said, his voice low and threatening. "We'll talk later."

"Yeah right," Ed growled, and stormed out of the dining room and up the stairs to his domain.

Ed paced the small length of his room, mentally berating himself for letting his anger get the best of him, while also wanting nothing more than to keep screaming at Izumi and Sig for keeping him and his brother in the dark, impending beating be damned.

His phone went off on his desk, flashing a text from his brother, reading: "_How'd it go?_"

Ed slammed his backside into the computer chair, hastily typed back, "_Terrible, I blew up &amp; Izumi's pissed_," and tossed his phone across the room, onto his bed. He didn't want to read the upcoming barrage of texts from his brother about how he needed to watch his temper. It's not like he wasn't already feeling the burn from being a loose canon. No, he needed to preoccupy himself. He needed to do something to distract himself from thinking about how much he fucked up.

Grabbing his backpack and pulling out his camera, he removed the memory card and uploaded the photos he had taken that day. He scrolled through the vast amount of shots of the buildings, labs, and candid flash attacks, and smirked. A little bit of Photoshop clean up would do him some good, at least for a little while.

:

A knock came to his door almost an hour later. Ed had backtracked through his session all the way to the candid shot of Winry by that time, feeling rather proud of his photography prowess, but the sound of his door opening and the sight of Izumi stepping into the room quickly killed said feelings.

It was quiet between them, quiet and tense. Ed turned away from his computer and directed himself towards his guardian, letting his eyes drift between her and the ground. Eventually, Izumi moved to the edge of Ed's bed, and took a seat.

"It's about time we talk," she began, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her thighs, "but it's not right to do it until I have you and Alphonse together."

"I can call him on FaceTime real quick," Ed suggested, sliding back towards the computer, but Izumi raised a hand to halt him.

"It needs to be in person," she explained. "I know it's a lot to ask, but can you wait until he comes home for answers?"

Ed chest sunk; his eyes averted back to the floor as he tightened his jaw.

"You can't expect me to tell you everything and leave Alphonse in the dark, now do you?" she added, and Ed shook his head.

"No," he responded, and glanced back up to her.

There was no hint of holding back in her expression. Hell, didn't even have a hint of a scowl on her face as she sat there, staring, which was a sure fire sign that she was telling him the truth. Ed drummed his thumb against the arm of his chair and thought about the span of time between that moment and Al's arrival back home.

"Two weeks?" Fuck, that was going to kill him.

"Two weeks," she repeated, with a nod of her head.

Ed twisted and turned in the chair, but eventually nodded his head, too.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said, and gifted him a small, but pride-filled smile.

Izumi wasn't the most affectionate woman when it came to child caring, but she was just as loving as any parent. Though receiving a hug from her was rare, she showed that she cared through small smiles and little, but meaningful words of praise. Ed liked that she wasn't an over-the-top in terms of affection, mostly because he was the same way. Perhaps he learned that from Izumi, or maybe they were just similar from the start. Either way, he was happy to have her be one of the people to bring him up, if his mom and dad couldn't be the ones to do it.

"Can I ask you one question?" Ed said, before Izumi could get up to leave.

She raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but waved a hand for him to continue.

Ed leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "What exactly did you do with my dad when you worked with him?"

Izumi's jaw locked, and she stared towards the ground in a few moments of silence. Ed was about ready to give in and tell her never mind, but was surprised by the sound of her voice breaking the silence.

"I didn't work _with_ him," she explained, and rose her head. "I worked _for_ him. I was his bodyguard for two years."

"Bodyguard?" Ed exclaimed. "Why?"

"That," Izumi began, as she rose to her feet, "is a question that will be answered when your brother comes home."

Slumping back into his seat, Ed grunted softly. He should've known she'd say that.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she said, "I promise you'll know everything I can tell you in due time."

Sliding his chin into the palm of his hand, Ed huffed. "Doesn't mean I can't be impatient about it."

Izumi chuckled to herself as she moved towards the door, but stopped when she took a glance at the image on Ed's computer screen.

"Is that Winry?" she asked, and smirked as Ed turned and noticed the photo.

He ran his thumb across his top lip and quickly shrank the picture. "Uh, yeah."

Izumi laughed a little louder. "She sure has gotten pretty."

Ed's nose crinkled. "I guess. Too bad she's still an annoying little know-it-all."

Izumi rolled her eyes and opened the door. "And you're still an arrogant little brat."

"I'M NOT LITTLE!" Ed shouted after her, and her cackle filled the upstairs hallway and she made off towards the staircase.

Once he heard her feet hit the solid downstairs floor, Ed pulled the picture back up and looked at it closely. The flash washed away a lot of natural shadows, taking away a lot of contrast from the color of her face and hair, but the alert expression was very clearly captured. Though the detail wasn't extreme, he could make out her crossed eyebrows and slight grimace, an expression he got used to seeing whenever he said something crass around her. Her eyes were wide, however, and the vibrancy of her blue irises was quite easily the first thing anyone would notice in the shot. It may not have been the kind of photo that put people in art galleries, but it was good picture.

An alert message bleeped on the top right corner of his screen, alerting him that Al had text him, saying he was getting ready to make his nightly call. Quickly closing out of the picture and turning off his computer, Ed got up from his place in the chair and collapsed onto his bed. Finding his phone in a matter of seconds, he wrapped his hand around it in the same moment it began to ring.

"Yo!" he answered before the second ring, and Al let out a sound of agitation.

_*Gees!*_ he exclaimed. _*No need to yell, brother!*_

"Sorry," Ed laughed, and plopped his head back onto his pillow. "Forgot you had sensitive baby ears."

_*More like my ears are normal and can't withstand your obnoxiously loud voice,* _Al retorted_. *Anyways, tell me what happened! Just how mad is Izumi?*_

"Actually," Ed began, as he kicked off his shoes, "we just patched things up."

Al let out a long sigh. _*I swear, I can't keep up with you two.*_

"That's what happens when you're living in another city," Ed teased.

The line went quiet, and Al cleared his throat.

_*So, did she tell you anything?*_

"Yeah," Ed mumbled, as he moved to his side in an attempt to get comfortable. "She never worked with dad, she worked for him."

_*Huh?*_

"Get this: she was his bodyguard."

_*Bodyguard?*_ Al repeated. _*Whoa..*_

Ed fidgeted in his bed, annoyed over the fact that something was rubbing against his side. "Yeah, makes you wonder what the old bastard was doing, huh?"

_*Stop calling him that, Ed,*_ Al defended, but his voice went soft after._ *But, wow. I wonder… What was he working on that made him need protection?*_

Ed shrugged, despite knowing his brother wouldn't see the gesture. "She also promised to tell all she could about him and mom when you came home on break."

_*Seriously?* _he exclaimed._ *Holy crap! Brother, why would tell me that now!?*_

"Damn!" Ed proclaimed. "Sorry! I thought you'd want to know!"

_*I do!* _Al confirmed._ *But, ah! I don't know how I'm going to make it that long!*_

Frustrated by his discomfort, Ed shoved his hand down by his side, feeling around until he touched a wad of paper in his pocket. Reaching into his pants and pulling the paper out, his eyes grew incredibly wide as he realized he had a second copy of his assignment paper, with an unused code for YaoCorp's gateway.

Edward sat up quickly, staring in complete awe at the barcode that was etched into the upper right hand corner. He let out a small gasp, and clutched the phone tighter in his hand as a rather reckless plan began to form in his head. If he could get into that building again, he might be able to find old information about his dad. Maybe one of the scientists there would know his father…

A quick flash of Lyra's speech flooded his brain.

"…Sound minds working on cell research, alongside Dr. Tucker…"

That's why Tucker went so rigid; he knew his father, and he must have known him personally to recognize his mother's name. He could go back to YaoCorp and find him, ask him questions and, finally, get some answers.

"You know what, little brother?" he said, smirking as he flattened out the paper. "We might not have to."

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	5. Chapter 5

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Alphonse had been against the idea the very moment Edward uttered it. He tried reasoning with him, even threatened to tell Izumi, but eventually, the boy let out a sigh of defeat over the line.

*_Just promise me you'll be careful?* _he'd said.

"I promise," Ed had assured.

Another long, hefty breath had sent audible static through Ed's receiver. *_You sure you don't want me to talk to Ling? He might be able to help.*_

Ed had given the idea a thought, but dismissed it almost immediately. "He doesn't talk to his dad, Al. You know that."

A twinge of anxiety struck him, as he continued to confess, "I haven't talked to the kid nearly three years, I don't want the first time I say to him to be about asking a favor."

Alphonse didn't bother pushing the subject after that.

Edward woke that Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, precisely. Bouncing out of bed and jumping onto the computer, he searched the YaoCorp webpages for any information on visitation. As he figured, a person could visit, but they were not permitted to visit areas like the medical building and the actual labs. He grumbled under his breath, until he spotted a listing of internship opportunities listed at the bottom left corner. He clicked it, read over the details, and his eyes grew wide. There were group showings through the entire day for approved interns, who, by the instructions of the page, should have already been given their one-time use passcode.

Ed glanced over by his bed, noting the folded piece of paper by his pillowcase, and grinned mischievously.

He was going to be able to get into YaoCorp.

"Fuck yeah."

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The early spring air still had a bite of winter in its chilling breeze. Ed sucked in a deep breath as he walked towards the subway station. He liked the harshness of the cold as he held it in his lungs; letting it blast his senses even more awake and alert than they were before. He needed that jolt, for the little bit of common sense he had was slowly starting to tell him that trying to sneak into YaoCorp with a possibly faulty passcode, all to hunt down a scientist that _might_ be able to tell him about his parents was starting to sound like an awful plan. Couldn't he have just tried looking up this guy's number on Google, or maybe just done what Izumi said and _wait_?

With a shake of his head and a slap to both cheeks, Ed quickened his pace towards the staircase leading underground. Fuck waiting; he'd done enough of that for a lifetime. He wasn't going to do it anymore.

The congested train compartment left Ed feeling anxious, but it wasn't enough to keep him from continuing his mission. Instead, he simply plugged in an earpiece and tried to distract his frantic mind with music, letting The White Stripes fill his head as the long trip went on, and ignoring the fact that the guy next to him smelled like cheap body spray and B.O.

:

Two stops and sub rides later, Ed found himself heading towards the Yao Corp gates. The tall buildings felt more ominous as he made his way towards the familiar entrance; he could feel the palms of his hands go sweaty as he and several other people started to swarm the spherical building.

One by one, they entered. A guard in full body armor stood quietly in the same place that Ms. McDougal had stood only a day before, and Ed quietly wished their escort had been her again, rather than the brawny, angry looking man that could break him in half if he was caught trying to sneak in. He said nothing as he and the people he assumed were all interns swarmed the inside of the small entrance. Once everyone took their places on the platform, he nodded once and began their transport to the underground building.

The ride down to the floor was unbearably tense. The people that surrounded him remained in an unnerving quiet as the elevator went down into the earth, and Ed's paranoia began to intensify. He tried to focus on what he had planned; using the code to get in, blending with the crowd as best he could, until spotting Tucker and confronting him. He needed to keep his wits about him, but fuck his nerves were shot. It didn't help that he stuck out from the group like a sore thumb; he was surrounded by nothing but tall, fit-looking men. He hoped that if he stuck within the back center of the group, he'd be able to hideaway enough without being too noticeable.

The elevator came to an abrupt stop, and the glass doors opened as they had before, alerting the group of interns and Edward moved towards the gated entryway. It seemed to Ed that none of these people were given the same hazing-like treatment that his high school companions received, because they all moved towards the scanners without a glint of hesitation. Bastards, he thought, as he fell into a line, and removed the folded passcode from his pant pocket. When his turn came, he held his breath as he laid down the barcode onto the podium, and the blue beam of light shined towards the ceilings, signaling it was clear to go. The sigh he emitted practically echoed through the space as he briskly walked into the medical building, still feeling just as amazed by the technology within it as he did when he walked through the day before.

The interns grouped together in a small cluster, and Ed spotted a short looking man before them, sporting a wide smile that bared a large golden tooth. He looked around to see if he could break away and try to find Dr. Tucker, but the area was heavily guarded by large, armed men, and he didn't want to have to deal with _that_ chasing after him, if he could help it.

"No need for introductions this time around," he began, the lenses of his glasses reflecting the light from the ceiling, shielding his eyes. "Let's get moving."

The man then began to walk down the hall with haste, causing the interns to follow at a hurried, and rather frazzled pace after him. Edward fell to the back of the group, causing him to nearly run after them in order to stay under the camouflage of being an intern, while hoping they'd walk in the direction of Tucker's work space, or that security would at least lighten.

The gold tooth doctor was rambling on about something the interns seemed to find important, but Ed could barely meet their pace, let alone actually hear whatever the hell the guy was saying. Christ, what was this his damage? He felt like he was prepping to do a marathon, just from trying to keep up.

They moved down a long, narrow corridor; no longer followed or monitored by large men with weapons. They took several random twists and turns, causing Ed to grow nervous as they continued on. He tried to memorize the order of each movement they made, so that he could reveres the steps later to find Tucker, but his anxiousness was causing his mind to dull. The group met a four-way intersection of white, marbled hallways, glistening from the vibrant white lights that lined the ceilings, and the gold-toothed doctor began to lead them to the right. Edward froze as the group continued on.

Fuck, he thought, and his nerves began to spike. He couldn't keep following after them, he _needed_ to get back to where he last saw Tucker, but damn it! He wasn't sure if he even knew how to get back!

A trio of men in long, white lab coats brushed past him, nearly knocking him into the wall. Ed was about to shout out at them, when he heard one of the men speak.

"…get to Tucker's office. Something about the chimera project."

"Think he's actually got something this time?"

"Guess we'll find out."

Ed's eyes grew wide. What were the fucking chances?

He stayed in place, letting the doctors move down the hall a little further, before following behind as closely as possible, but without raising any suspicions. He wondered what they meant by, "Chimera Project", but didn't bother wrapping his mind around it for the time being. He was too high off the adrenaline that was pumping through him, knowing that he was close to confronting the man about his parents. He'd wait outside his office until the three men had left; he couldn't just barge in and demands answers, even though that was exactly what he wanted. No, he had to have a tactic. He would wait outside his office until he knew the man was alone; if anyone asked, he could just say he was just waiting on a meeting or something. Would anyone even bother to interrogate him about waiting outside his door? Fuck, he thought, they might. He needed to get a story straight.

The doctors made a sharp right turn, moved towards a large, metal door that Shou Tucker himself was standing beside, anxiously fidgeting as he held it open. Ed felt his breath his as he caught sight of his thin mouth and frantic stare, but before he could form a coherent thought, all four men were in the room and the door was shut.

Ed mentally cursed at himself as he moved beside the metallic doorframe, and slid down to his feet. There was nothing he could do, but wait for those men to leave, and then, hopefully, he could get some answers from Dr. Tucker. He could hear the muffled sounds of voices sift out from the cracks between the door and marbled floors. Ed scooted closer to it, and leaned his ear slightly towards the ground, wondering if he could make out their words.

"_…project is…_"

"_….just a little more f-"_

A slamming sound stopped whoever was speaking in the middle of their muddled sentence. Edward leaned closer, wondering if maybe Tucker's project was just as half-baked as he thought it had seemed.

_"Can't make…logical…Mr. Yao is…_"

"Hey, you!"

Edward's head shot up to see a very large, very armed security guard pointing his night stick in his direction. "What are you doing, kid?"

Ed scrambled back against the wall. "Uh.. I'm an intern. Waiting for Tucker."

"Intern?" the man said, eyeing him closely. "Where's your name tag?"

_FUCK. _

"It's. uhh," Ed began, but the security guard's walkie patched into a call.

*-_SECURITY BREACH. I REPEAT. FAULTY CODE WAS RUN THROUGH SYSTEM AT APPROXIMATELY TEN THIRTY TWO. ALL BE ON THE LOOK OUT. I REPEAT-"_

Ed gulped loudly as the security guard's face went rigid. "So, what were you saying about that name tag?"

Ed let out a nervous chuckle, then scrambled to his feet and darted away from the man as fast he could.

"STOP! DON'T RUN!" he shouted after him, but Ed was already turning down the next hallway.

Ed blasted past groups of doctors, shouting apologies as he knocked piles of notes out of their hands and bouncing around custodians as he took every other turn, doing his best to keep his distance. He looked over his shoulder, in hopes that the man had been shaken off his trail, but was mortified to see that he was only a hall's distance away, pummeling through the people filling the halls like a juggernaut plowing through a human barricade.

"Shit!" Ed panted, and pushed himself further, harder, but he was running out of breath and directions to take.

He needed a place to hide.

With one more swift turn, Ed began to grab the handles of every door and see if he could hide within the rooms. Each one, however, seemed to be locked by some strange encoding in the door itself; each one had a flat, rectangular bar where the handle should be, and none of them would budge open as he pressed against them.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ed muttered, and ran to the right turn at the end of the hall, leading to a dead end.

"FUCK!"

If he got caught by this guard, he'd end up dead before Al even got home. Izumi would make damn sure of it. With that in mind, Ed slammed into every door of that final hall, hoping that, eventually, one would be forced open. He reached the final one on the left side by the time the guard's heavy footsteps reached Ed's ear, and with a smack of his hands against the door, a hot white pain pinched his palm.

"Shit!" Ed cried out, "What the hell was—" and he looked up at the door to see it was ajar.

Without a moment to spare, Ed ran into the room and slammed the door shut, enclosing himself to complete, and utter darkness. He held his breath as the guard came running down the hall; his heavy footing gave way to this lethargy as he swore and tried to calm his breathing. Ed took slow, small steps backward, hoping he didn't trip, and soon, the guard heaved an aggravated breath, and moved on.

Ed sighed long and low, still moving backward, and one well placed step caused the entire room to light up. Edward jumped as the neon bulbs flickered in and out, fighting to illuminate the boy's surroundings. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, and found himself standing in the middle of the most bizarre looking laboratory he had ever seen.

"What the hell…"

Edward turned to face the strange room, his footing fumbled as he gaped openly at the darkly colored room. It was circular in shape, with the center of the room lowered by at last three feet. A strange contraption from within the center caught his eye like a sore spot; the deep grooves within it elicited a slight blue glow that trailed throughout the entirety of the lowered floor, creating a strange, detailed design.

He paced the edge of the circle, taking in the details of the strange engravings within the area. He recognized the symbols as more archaic forms of sciences; runes that depicted elements and chemicals compounds before chemistry had been realized. It was alluring, in a strange way, almost familiar…

He reached a desk that resided to the left side of the room, and noticed the thick layer of dust that covered it's top and the files that resided on it. The sight of the desk gave him a definite case of deja vu; it was like looking back at his father's study, the way he always had his work layering every bit of surface. Edward picked up the closest file and blew away the dust that coated it, causing himself to choke on the air bound pieces and wave his hand frantically in front of his face in order to keep himself from breathing in any more. He looked down at the file, and felt his blood pressure spike. From underneath the heavy black ink stamp marking the notes "CLASSIFIED', three words stood out against the faded manila folder:

RADIO-ACTIVE ELEMENTAL TRANSMUTATION

"R.E.T" Ed whispered.

He remembered his father constantly babbling that acronym as a child, be it on the phone or with his mother. It was one of the only things he remembered about his old man. He opened the file and looked hard at the ripped, aged papers and more manila files that lied within. Sprawled out in awful writing were notes and unfinished equations; all filled with or written to include those same runes that he saw in the ground. Ed's brow furrowed, and he flipped through the pages, noticing more and more that the formulas that stained the pages were outrageously improbable. If his father was a chemist, he was a fucking hack job.

Edward closed the manila folder and placed it back on the table, moving behind to see if there were any drawers to sift through. Sure enough, he found more manila folders with the same contents, all littered with strange formulas and photo-copies of each page with notes written in various hand-writings. These files, however, all held the name R.E.T: REVIVAL PROJECT. Some held very faint doodles of some kind of mechanical blue prints, some were completely scribbled out with black pen. Ed took in every detail of every single paper that he could, and when he put down the final shred of notes, he ran his fingers through his long, shaggy bangs, and began to chuckle in complete shock.

"This has got to be a fucking joke," he muttered to himself.

The notes, they were about a form of science that had been disproven centuries ago. Ed was at a loss of words as he peered down at the notes. This couldn't be real, could it? Was this really what his father had dedicated his life to? Was this the work that robbed him and Al of their parents at a young age? Edward picked up a piece of paper with a single formula, and a diagram of the large circle that sat in the center of that very room.

"This…this is alchemy."

The one hand still buried in his hair ran down his face as his slight chuckles turned into chaotic laughter. "Fucking alchemy!"

He slammed both hands down onto the desk and flipped it. "What the FUCK were you trying to do, huh!?"

He kicked the desks metal frame, fervently slamming his booted foot into the sides, denting them greatly. "Were you trying to make gold out of fucking straw?! Make water into wine?! How about a fucking _philosopher's stone_?!"

A glow from behind him caught his eye, and Edward turned towards the room's strange center. The blue lights that lit up the floor were glowing brighter than before. Had he been in a calmer state of mind, Ed might have thought to keep his distance from the strange contraption, but Edward's emotions had too tight of a grip on his ability to reason.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, he stomped over to that god forsaken circle. He descended down the small flight of steps and stared hard at the encryptions that decorated the floor. He breathed heavily as his eyes scanned over the markings for various elements, and his anger reformed into inquiry.

"This," Ed muttered. "This is chemical makeup for a human being…but.."

Ed knelt down and analyzed a strange encryption. "What the hell is this?"

He placed a hand against the grooving, lightly running the pad of his pointer finger against what looked like half of the face of the sun. Beside it, was half of the face of the moon. Edward didn't understand what the markings were doing in the center of was a chemical equation. What the fuck did the sun and the moon have to do with this?

Edward place his other hand against the ground and furrowed his brow. Many of the chemical compounds written in the circle were encrypted with symbols. Perhaps, the sun and moon stood for something? Ed racked his brain of old texts he'd stolen from the library, trying to remember any knowledge of discarded science that he could have retained. He knew in many older societies, the sun was symbolic of masculinity, and the moon for femininity, but what did they mean in…

The grooves under his fingers began to glow brighter, startling Ed.

"What the fuck?"

He leaned in closer to the ground, inspecting the markings more closely. Was there some kind of reaction occurring underneath the floor? He tried seeing just what lied within the strange runes, but cut the palm of his hand as he slid it against a sharp edge in the ground. He cursed as he jolted upright, and lifted his hand to inspect the wound. Blood rolled down the side of his palm and dripped onto the ground in small, trickles of red. Fuck, the cut was deep. Edward turned to look around the room for something to wipe the excess blood. He placed the ends of his fingers against the floor to help lift himself, but froze in sheer terror as the ground beneath him began emit a vibrant blue light.

Edward's eyes grew wide as the light grew blinding; engulfing the room to the point that he feared he may have blacked out.

…That was, until he felt small hands creep around his arms and legs.

Edward cried out as a strange, unseen entity constricted his limbs to the floor, tightening around him and tearing into every nerve in his body. His blood felt like hot static surging within him; an electric current of pain that soared through every inch of his innards, through his heart and mind, around his lungs, and burning his skin as though he were drowning in fire. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't properly think; all that was going through his mind as he screamed in agony was how he was going to die in a room filled with unanswered questions left behind by his father. Would Alphonse hate him for not listening? How would Izumi and Sig react when they find out he died, because he just couldn't wait for answers? How would his friends at school take it? Would it make Winry cry to know he was gone?

The white-hot pain stopped abruptly, and Edward collapsed against the ground with a hard thud. His organs vibrated within him, shaking as though their every molecule was rearranging. He sucked in air fervently and desperately, but his body had been exhausted of all the energy it had stored within it, and suddenly, everything faded to black.

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	6. Chapter 6

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_A looming portal stood before him, in a room void of nothing but white._

_His body felt heavy, yet, at the same time, weightless. He brought his hands up to eye level, fixated as his fingers flexed to and away from his palms. His knuckles cracked as he continued, and his mouth hung open as he gazed at the ground beneath him, or lack thereof._

_"Where am I?"_

_Suddenly, the portal opened. A rumbling from deep within the shadowed doorway began to project, and he was afraid. This wasn't supposed to happen. He could feel it deep within his bones; something was terribly, terribly wrong._

_A barrage of black hands blasted out from the darkness of the portal's opening, and he screamed. They ripped at his skin, burrowing themselves inside of him and setting fire to his bones and nerves. He cried out, begging for it to stop. It was too much, too much to bear._

_The hands pulled him towards the blackened opening. He tried to fight them; clawing at the vacant ground, reaching for something to hold onto, but his efforts were useless. He was sucked into the void with a heart-stopping speed, barely giving him enough time to let out one last cry…_

Edward shot up from the floor in a sweaty, breathless panic. His head pounded with a pressure worse than any migraine he'd ever experienced. His mind was rushing with those damned equations, speeding through every inch of his brain that he feared it would cause his body to go into another state of panic. He brought a hand to his temple, rubbing the spot in a silent pleading for the pain to ease, but it did not falter.

"Fuck," he managed to breathe out.

Wiping both hands down his sweat-covered face, he clapped his hands together beside his mouth, and rested them against the ground. His fingers wrapped around the twisted grooves of stainless steel that made up the strange markings in the floor, and his mind began to swim.

_Iron.. Carbon.. Silicon.. Phosphorous.. Sulfur.._

A strange blue glow erupted from his palms, warming his skin as it deconstructed the ground from under his grasp.

Edward pulled his hand away from the floor quickly, as though it were on fire. Wide-eyed and breathing heavily, he looked at his hand in sheer terror. The glow was gone, but the floor.. It had been completely morphed into an imprint of his grip. Edward scuffled away from the spot, letting out pained gasps as his back pressed against the bottom step. What the fuck was happening? What the _fuck _did he just do?

He needed to get the hell out of here. This place, these markings-there was something dangerous about them, and he needed to get as far away as possible. He didn't want to know what was happening; he wanted to be at home, in his bed and sleeping in like he should have been doing on a Saturday morning. Fuck, his head felt heavy. He smacking his hands together over his head, squeezing his eyes shut as his vision went hazy. It felt like the room was spinning, gaining more speed with every passing second. Ed dropped a hand onto the cement bottom step and grasped it tightly, gritting his teeth as that skull-splitting pressure hit him again.

_Gypsum.. Potassium oxide.. Sodium oxide.._

The step crumbled under his hold.

"Fuck!" Ed screamed, and stared in horror at the rubble under his fingers.

No, he couldn't have done that. It was completely impossible. It had to be! He couldn't just _destroy _something like that with his bare hands!

_But it just fucking happened, _he thought.

With his body still quaking, Edward got to his and frantically moved out of the circle. Tripping up the small staircase, his eyes darted around the dusty, dilapidated laboratory; passing over the desk with his father's research, and scanning everything until they landed on the door. He had to get out. This place, it had to be making him crazy. There was no way he just _wrecked_ concrete stairs and metal flooring with his bare hands. He got shocked by some frayed wire and it caused him to see things. That had to be it. No other logical explanation to could explain why this was happening.

He grabbed hold of the large door handle and pulled at fiercely. He wanted out, fuck, he _needed _out, but the damn thing would budge.

"Come on, come on!" he begged, sweat running down his neck. "God damnit, please!"

His hands grew slippery against the metal of the frame, and, growing angry in his panic, punched the door relentlessly. The knuckles of his fingers were beginning to bleed as he wailed, and pulling back for a moment to asses the damage, Ed shook out his hand, rubbed it, clapped off the stinging from his fingers, and continued punching.

"FUCKING OPEN UP!"

_Carbon.. Nickel.. Nitrogen.._

Edward's fist blasted through the door, sending his arm straight through the steel barrier.

He let out a pained gasp as he watched that blue glow transfigure into an electric-like current and disintegrate the remaining bit of metal left, allowing him to fall through to the white marble hall. He collapsed against the ground with an unceremonious thud, bits of metal folded underneath his weight and scattered across the floor.

"Oh fuck, no-not again," he panted; just what in the hell was happening to him?!

Ed scrambled to his feet and stared at what was once a large, heavy, domineering metal , trying his damnedest not to touch anything. He didn't know just how, but he was afraid if he laid his hands on anything else, he'd destroy it as well.

He reached the edge of the hall, and found the adjoining pass was filled with doctors, aids, and, even worse, guards.

_Shit._

He wasn't going to be able to get out of this place easy, and knowing his luck, they were probably on a manhunt for him. His stomach twisted into knots, and Ed wrapped an arm around his middle, breathing deeply and hoping he could keep himself from throwing up. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, hoping the slight coverage would help him make his way through that maze of a lab a little easier. With a long inhale, he fixed his sights on the narrow path that twisted in and out of lab coats and uniforms, and bolted. Scoffs and shouts spouted from various directions as Edward did his best to weave in and out of the convoluted pathway, making sure to keep his arms tucked in as closely to his sides as possible; he didn't want to risk accidentally hurting someone.

"Hey, WATCH IT!" a voice shouted after him, after he accidentally blasted through a group of scientists, sending their files and paperwork flying through the air.

He turned his eyesight back to them for a quick glance, making sure they were at least in one piece, before slamming into a hard chest. Edward fell back against the ground, his hood falling back from the force of the fall, and looked up to see that damned security guard, smiling wickedly down at him as he gripped the night stick on his hip.

"Nice of you to come out."

He gulped back fear, and possibly vomit, as the man made a move towards him, and, without thinking, Edward clapped his hands and smacked them against the floor.

_Silica.. Carbonate of lime.. Iron.. Bitumen.._

The marble shattered under his palm, and blasted a destructive wave of broken floor all the way around him, successfully blocking the guard from reaching Edward. He stared at the wreckage for the first time in complete wonder, and, with a quick gasp and a slight smirk, got back to his feet and began to run down the nearly cleared hall.

"I NEED BACKUP!" he heard the guard shout into his receiver, but Ed didn't want to give 'backup' a chance to arrive.

Turning down another hall, Ed clapped his hands once more and smacked them against the ground, creating another barrier of broken ground. He tried to pull the hood back over his head as he continued running, hoping that he had been able to deflect any hidden cameras from capturing his face thus far. His hands stung, but he wasn't sure if it was from slamming them down so hard on the ground, or from the intense damage they were somehow causing. Whatever occurred in his dad's old lab, it sure did a number on him.

Ed could hear a panic brewing within the halls surrounding him. _Fuck_, his little escape ploy probably just caused the whole damn lab on red alert. He really needed to escape now. He was running out of time.

Lab coats and darkly suited guards began to splatter the white marble of the halls, screaming and panicking as they ran frantically about, terrified of their seemingly impenetrable lab's intruder. Edward cursed under his breath, and continued to moving throughout the chaos, hoping he could reach the exit.

A man grabbed his arm and forced him into the wall. "Got you."

"No, you don't!" Ed spat, and rammed his head into the guard's jaw, breaking his hold and bringing his hands together in a clap, then slammed them against the wall.

The marble blasted out around him, separating Ed from his captor and terrifying the YaoCorp workers. Ed didn't bother waiting for the crowd to move, he shot off towards the nearest corridor without a second thought. He twisted to the right and continued to move as fast as he could. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Dr. Tucker emerging from his office door, gazing in shock as he sped past. He never got to speak to the man. This entire plan was a massive failure, colored in with criminal charges, property damage galore, and _definitely_ psychiatric help. If he made it home, Ed would have no problem letting Al rants for hours with his "I told you so"s. It was the only thought that kept him going.

He twisted down another hall, and was met with a taser. He screamed as the volts pulsated through him, causing his body to go painful immobile and fall to the floor. A cluster of guards surrounded him as his vision went in and out, and through the blurry filter, he spotted an exit. He was close, so fucking close.

His arm convulsed on its own, and Ed's neck twitched as one of the men lifted him from his place on the floor. Muddled words about, "Taking him in" and "identifying the suspect" flittered past his ears, but he was still too incoherent to respond.

Then a hand went for his hood.

It was like a defense mechanism was triggered, for when that hand rested upon Edward's head, he felt a new, ferocious vitality submerge from deep within him. Without blinking, he grabbed the guard's raising hand and twisted them over his back, slamming them into the floor. Edward pulled the hood farther over his head before smacking his hands together and colliding one to the nearby wall, and the other to the ground.

_Calcium.. Sulfur.. Sulfate—_

_Tricalcium silicate…_

The corridor rumbled dangerously as the flooring and walls shook from Edward's destructive touch. The concrete ground blasted up from underneath the guards' feet, shooting up in distorted pillars towards the ceiling. The wall cracked and shot out at them, striking them square in their faces, stomaches, and sides. Edward fumbled over the moving ground and ran towards the exit, his vision still going in and out, and his head feeling as though it would split in two. Bits of debris crashed against his forehead, causing the pain to grow stronger as he ran. Blacks blots swam through his eyes, and his nerves turned static.

Ed began to wonder, was he going to be able to make it?

:

:

It was over.

He had lost his funding. YaoCorp had given up on his vision, his dream. What was he going to do? How was he going to afford to live? To pay for child support? To pay for _anything_? Shou ran a hand through his thinning hair, and let out a shaky breath. This was bad, really bad.

A muffled scream made its way through Shou's door, and he turned to stare at crack at its bottom. People's shadows danced across the floor in dark flashes against the bit of light that peaked in, and he moved to see why they were going by so fast. The sound of an explosion filled the hall as he peaked out, and from the chaos, he spotted a hooded figure running by, with guards right on their tail. Shou watched the figure closely as it sprinted by, and felt the world go in slow motion as he spotted golden eyes lock onto him from underneath the hood.

It was Van's boy, Edward. It had to be; no one else could have eyes like that.

Time sped back up as the child turned down the next hall, and Shou felt a rush of adrenaline hit him like he hadn't felt since his youth. He slammed his office door shut and looked down the hall in the opposite direction, astounded, and, at the same time, horrified by the wreckage that was splayed down the path.

How in the hell did this-

"He figured it out," he whispered to himself, and covered his mouth with his hand. "My god."

He ran towards the wreckage, analyzing the tears and grooves within the broken parts of wall and ground. It flashed him back a decade ago, to when he and his closest confident were both on the verge of scientific break throughs; before the destruction of their department and the loss of his dearest friends. Shou couldn't believe how much this looked like Van's final tests. It was incredible, and at the same time, terrifying.

He had to get to the revival lab. He had to make sure this wasn't a misunderstanding on his part, that he wasn't coming to the wrong conclusions. He began to move in the direction of an old lab he hated seeing; the lab YaoCorp tried to create in an attempt to replicate his old partner's work. He tried to fight the higher ups from making it, feeling as though the work shouldn't be continued in the way they were trying to do it, but he ended up being one of the heads of the department. He decided that if his late friend's work was to be done without him, he'd make damn sure no one tried to do it in a way his friend would have been against. The project was pushed aside nearly five years ago, when no one could crack Van's coding. Despite making perfect replications of his old office, projects, and notes, they couldn't find the spark of genius needed to make it work.

When he came to lab's door, he froze. The heavy, metal barricade looked like tin foil splayed out on the ground. He gaped at in an astounded form of horror; just how in the world was someone able to do this? Shou peaked through the gaping hole and felt his blood run cold. The place was in shambles; the flooring that surrounded Van's transmutation model was completely wrecked. Paperwork laid scattered about the room, and the desk was kicked in and toppled over.

"Edward was here," Shou whispered, "and.. and he.. he must have.."

Oh god, that poor child. He endured the deconstruction and reconstruction of the machine. But how? How did a _boy_ figure out how to operate the contraption when a team of scientists couldn't?

No, none of that matters right now. Shou shook his head hard and fast, before entering the lab through the hole in door. What matters most, he thought, is making sure Van's boys are still safe. He cleared out the files and checked the desk for finger prints, wiping off any areas that looked like Edward might have touched. He scanned the transmutation model and froze when he spotted the destroyed fraction of the circle. Edward's grip was perfectly imprinted within the distorted metal. He could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead as he quickly moved to it, and, without thinking clearly, began to stomp on the weakest part of the floor. The thin metal snapped under his foot, and Shou dropped to the ground, wiggling the imprint loose and yanking it free.

Shoving it in his lab coat's pockets, he ran as fast as he could back to the hall and down to his office. He needed to get rid of this piece of evidence; he didn't want anyone knowing that Van's offspring had been in this building. He didn't dare think of what could happen, should the higher ups find out. Moving in and out of the clusters of his panicked colleagues, Shou decided to do something he feared attempting to do for many years. Something he felt should have already been done, but he was too much a coward to attempt.

He need to find and contact Van Hohenheim's sons.

:

:

"AYE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

A rough hand shoved Edward's back, sending him flying out into the middle of the city streets. He nearly fumbled to the ground, but managed to maintain enough balance to stay on his feet. Senses on the verge of overload, he felt as though he were catapulted back into the conscious world from complete blackness. His head was still clouded; full of those damn equations and riddles that he knew the answer to, but couldn't quite make out just what it might be. It was terribly painful, having all those thoughts rampaging in his mind. He could feel a mass of people moving around him, and instantly, Ed felt the need to move himself. He hated these damned crowds, and this intense headache did not help to make his distaste for them any better.

Walking further towards a brighter part of the city to help him figure out where the hell he was, Ed had to shield his eyes from the midday sun. The sound of honking cars and thousands of voices talking all at once filled his ears, and he blinked his blindness away to find himself standing in the heart of East City's main tourist attraction: Central Square.

"Son of a bitch."

Edward hated this part of town. It was at least another half hour from his home, and worse, it was loaded with tourists, yuppies, gangs, and everything in between. The place was too packed, too convoluted with a type of insanity that he simply did _not _want to partake in. Not to mention, he'd probably find Rose and a bunch of other classmates running rampant around here, and he did _not _want to see any of them after what had happened at YaoCorp.

He moved to find a subway and grab a new ride closer to home, but something pulsated through his body, causing him to practically leap several feet away from the station. He turned and noticed a shady figure with its hand reached out, right beside the spot he had been standing, but the figure vanished within the crowd in mere seconds. Ed traced the crowd in search of it, wondering if he'd spotted a pick pocket in the middle of the act, or something worse. He barely paid attention to the fact that he was walking backwards, and practically toppled over a passerby. He quickly regained his footing and, as if by some unknown reflex, spun backward and wrapped his arm around the passerby's middle before they fell face first into the ground.

"Shit, sor-" he began, but his voice was lost when he noticed large blue eyes blinking at him unabashedly.

"Ed?"

Winry blew a section of her bangs out of her face as she regained her balance. Her cheeks were a vibrant red, and Edward wondered if it was from the cold, or from the fact that he still had his hands wrapped tightly around her. The roughness of her wool peacoat felt rather pleasing to his tingling hands. Oh fuck, his hands!

Had she not already caught balance, she would have fallen flat on her ass with how quickly he let her go. His eyes grew strained as he looked at her; scanning every inch of her and noticing every brush of light makeup that covered her skin, and what it was made of. The smell of her perfume could have drowned him as his mind dissected every ingredient, from a hint of white lilies, to eventually naming chemicals like Alpha Iso Methyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, and Benzyl Salicylate. Fuck, it was making his head hurt.

"Sorry," he started, and brought a hand to his temple. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping with Rose," she began slowly, looking behind her for a moment, as if to try and point out their friend, and added. "What are _you_ doing in Central Square?"

He opened his mouth to answer her, but _damn it_, his mind was starting to spin again.

She reached her arm out to him, but he quickly swatted it away. "Ed?"

"Don't," he began, his eyesight foggy, and her worried expression turned to two faces spinning before him, making him feel sick. "Gotta…gotta go. See you."

He thought he heard her call out to him, but by that time he had already ran half way across the large commercial intersection. His vision was growing worse by the second. Each pulsating throb of his heartbeat echoed throughout his body, intensifying the pain in his head with each passing second. He had no idea what direction he was moving in, he was simply letting his body take him as far as it could go, hoping that it'd know its way back home. In hindsight, it might have been better to have stayed with his friend.

In and out, his mind faded.

He was still running on the sidewalks in Central Square, ignoring the shouts of pedestrians as he clumsily snaked through the crowded walkways.

The next second, he was lying on his side on a seat in the subway, his entire body quaking as unknown problems and equations flooded his brain.

He didn't remember leaving the station. He didn't even really remember the walk back home. All he did remember was the cold bite of early spring wind, the level of toxins that had been filling the air, thanks to the intense traffic, and the creaking sound of his front door, causing Ed to hypothesize just how rusted the hinges had become.

Izumi and Sig were standing in the living room, looking as though they had been panicked for hours. Izumi let out a sigh as Edward made his way into the house, but her ease quickly switched to aggression as she placed her hands on her hips and gave him an icy glare.

"Where the hell have you been?" Izumi shouted, but Edward didn't have enough energy or sense to flinch at her.

He swayed slightly as he stood by the doorway, and fell forward slightly as he took a step towards the stairwell. "I don't feel well. I'm going to bed."

"Not until you've answered me, you little—" Izumi growled, but paused as she noticed Ed's lack of a reaction. "Edward?"

"Talk tomorrow," he said, as he sluggishly made his way up. "Don't wake me for dinner."

Ed could sense Izumi and Sig moving to the bottom of the stairs, though they didn't follow him to the second floor. He barely made it to his bed before his body gave out completely. Collapsing head first into the mattress, he could feel his phone vibrating madly on his thigh. It was probably Al, trying to make sure he was still alive and well after being gone for so long. He moved his hand to reach for it, but was out before his fingers could touch the rim of the pocket.

As much as Ed didn't want to make him, Alphonse was going to have to wait.

:

:

:

* * *

Author's Note: Meh. I'm not the happiest with how this chapter turned out, but I've rewritten this part too much to keep on trying. Hope its still alright to you guys! Thank you for reading, and please review!


	7. Chapter 7

::

::

::

Izumi watched the boy from his doorway, rubbing her thumb absently against the skin of her chin. The deep rise and fall of his chest alerted her that he was still breathing, but they were so labored, it had begun to leave her unsettled.

"How's he doing?" Sig whispered from behind her.

She remained fixated on the boy, with her brow furrowed deeply. "Not much better than before." A large hand enveloped her shoulder, and Izumi leaned into the feel of her husband's touch. "We should wake him, have him take some medicine."

"It's too early to give him another dose," she informed. "I already made the brat take Ibuprofen."

"Then there's no point in standing around and worrying," he replied, and moved his hand to wrap around her waist. "Come on, honey. Let's get to bed."

Izumi allowed herself to fall back into his arms, resting her head comfortably against his chest. "You always know how to make me feel better, darling. Go on ahead, I'll be there in a minute."

She could feel the scruff of Sig's beard rub against her head as he nodded in understanding, and he dipped down to peck her scalp. Izumi never let her eyes waver away from Edward. She watched him with the same protective, primal stare of a mother wolf with her young.

"You better be alright," she muttered under her breath, and, as she flicked off the light switch, closed the door and left the room.

::

::

Neon beams flickered on and off from the carport's sensory lights, momentarily illuminating Tucker as he hastily pulled into his aged and broken driveway. Fragments of the broken cement flew into the almost too long grass of his front lawn as he forcefully put the car in park and yanked the keys from the ignition, wasting no time locking the doors as he ran towards his basement entrance.

There was once a time where the sound of childish squealing and deep, booming barks filled his ears as he entered that home. Now, however, it was only an alarming silence that greeted him, leaving him feeling hollow as he waded his way through the clutter and memories that had built up throughout each and every room. He stumbled over a dusty Big Wheel before reaching a cupboard under the staircase, and, with an unintended amount of force, ripped it open to reveal a small, rusted filing cabinet.

"Still here," he muttered to himself. "It's got to still be…"

He rummaged through each drawer in a near panic, leafing through each file as carefully as sweaty, shaking hands could, until at least, his eyes landed on a yellowed piece of paper. Shou took off his glasses and wiped his brow against the sleeve of his shirt, and let out a deep breath.

"What am I doing?"

::

::

The next thing Ed knew, he was waking up to the obnoxious beeping of his Sunday morning alarm.

With a flash of unexpected speed, he slammed his hand down on the small clock; successfully smashing it to pieces and jolting his body into a crouched position beneath his bundles of blankets. Looking down at the fabric of his sheets, he found himself able to mentally breakdown each thread, as well as visually taking in the thousands of strands that rested underneath him.

He blinked thrice, giving his head a slight shake before staring again. The darkly colored fabric looked the same as it had any other day before, but the thousands of strands were still visible, as though they were a faded detail in the background that he could pull forth, if needed.

He held his breath as he slowly lifted his blanket off the top of his head, and let it out as he scanned his room with a half-dead stare. It almost shocked him, how much crisper everything appeared. It was like peering through a fresh new lens; everything was brighter, better, with every detail brought to the fore front. He could see the paintbrush etches on his walls, the slight cracks in the wood of his dresser; he could even see the webbing in the corner of his ceiling.

This was, without a doubt, the _trippiest_ shit he had ever experienced.

Not even a second later, Edward's hand was wrapped around his phone as it began to vibrate. He looked down at the screen to see a photo of his younger brother smiling at him. Slowly, Edward hit 'answer', and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hey," he muttered.

*_DAMN IT, EDWARD!_*

He jerked away from the phone, flinching at the unnecessary shrillness of his brother's voice. "Fuck Al, dial it back! I've got the headache from hell."

*_YOU'VE GOT—* _he began, and let out an exasperated shout. *_I BARELY GOT ANY SLEEP LAST NIGHT, BECAUSE MY IDIOT BROTHER PULLED SOME IDIOT STUNT AND DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO LET ME KNOW HE WAS OKAY!*_

"Okay, okay!" Ed exclaimed. "I get it, I fucked up! I'm sorry!"

Alphonse huffed into the receiver, sending a burst of static sound into Edward's ear. *_You're lucky I kept my cool and didn't call Izumi.*_

"As much shit as I would've been in, I almost wish you did," Ed mumbled.

A short silence took the line, before Al let out a resigned groan.

*_Brother,*_ Al began_. _*_What did you do?_*

A hot and heavy feeling hit Ed's gut, and his mind flashed back into that damned lab. He could feel those damned hands cutting into his skin again. He could feel the fiery piercing of each nerve in his fingers as that strange energy distorted and destroyed damn near everything he touched. Shit, he hadn't even had a chance to think about all the damage he'd caused…

"What the hell didn't I do?" he muttered to himself, then said. "FaceTime me in fifteen. It'll be easier to explain that way."

Without saying goodbye, Al hung up, and Ed hopped off his bed and plopped into his computer chair. As he turned on the monitor, he thought over just how he was going to explain the fiasco that was yesterday. How the hell was he going to tell Al all of that and expect him to actually believe it?

A video chat icon popped up and Ed answered it immediately, letting Alphonse's pixelated face take over the screen. *_Alright, I'm ready.*_

He motioned to speak, but no sound followed. The words hung in the air between Edward's lips and the computer screen, fogging up the glass that reflected Alphonse's confused expression.

It should have been simple, he should have been able to simply explain what happened the same way one would recall an old memory, but for some unknown reason, he couldn't get it out. Instead, his hands reached idly for a mechanical pencil. He emptied out the graphite, and studied it closely.

Molecular structures of carbonic matter flooded his head, breaking down the element and its covalent bonds, and rearranging it entirely. A static heat enveloped his palm, tingling all the way to the edge of his fingers. Edward closed his eyes as he clapped his hands and, with a flash of light, opened his palms to reveal a small, imperfect diamond. He stared at the tiny compound, barely big enough to hold, and brought it to his camera for Alphonse to see.

_*Brother,* _he began, olive eyes wide with shock. _*Start talking. NOW.*_

Alphonse's expression never changed as Ed managed to retell the entirety of his experience in YaoCorp, from what seemed to be a clean entry, to getting chased by guards, to their father's lab and the strangely horrific things that happened there. He mouthed profanities every other moment, but remained frozen in quiet throughout the entire recollection.

"It was… crazy, Al," Ed admitted, running a hand through his bangs. "I really don't know how I made it out of there, or even how I got home. I blacked out after-"

The memory of a hand reaching out for him in crowded Central Square, and the strong scent of perfume caused his head to spin.

_*You're still pretty messed up, huh?"_Al asked, and Ed nodded, not bothering to look at the screen. _*Maybe you should tell Izumi, Brother. She might be able to-*_

"To what?" Ed interrupted. "Kill me for breaking into a high security lab, cause who knows how much property damage, and accidentally become a fucking mutant?" He deadpanned at the camera, before adding, "I don't think so."

Al slumped back into his seat, blurring the shot momentarily, and ran his hands down his face. _*This is bad, Ed. What if they find out who you are? I mean, that code had to be one specifically for Central High.*_

Ed's stomach dropped. "I… Shit, I didn't think about that."

Alphonse quickly scooted back towards his own computer, typing rapidly. _*It doesn't look like there have been any reports of a break in. They might be trying to keep it under the radar.*_

"Still, not a good sign," Edward groaned.

_*Maybe you should lay low for a while,* _Al suggested. _*At least, until you know everything's clear?*_

"Yeah," he replied. "I was pretty fucked up when I got home last night, I bet I can play the sick card and stay home."

_*You think Izumi would fall for that?* _Al responded.

"She isn't falling for anything, if it's true," Ed laughed. "I still feel like shit."

_*In that case,* _Al said, smiling slightly, _*go on and get back to bed, brother. I'll talk to you tomorrow.*_

"See you, Al," he said, and ended the call.

With a deep sigh, Ed moved back into bed, forgoing checking his phone for texts or possibly calling out to Sig and Izumi for food. What he had said to Alphonse was true; he felt like absolute hell. The inside of his body still didn't feel right, like his blood was flowing in a different way, or his muscles were working at a different speed. It took everything in him to keep his eyes open while talking to his brother, and, as his head dropped against his pillow, he gave up and let them shut.

Hopefully, he'd have another day to sleep this shit off.

::

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Izumi's stare hardened. "Get out of that bed now, Edward. You're going to school."

Ed's jaw dropped. "But I'm dyyyiiinggg!"

"You don't have a fever, you have no rashes, and you aren't throwing up," she stated, crossing her arms tighter across her chest. "There is no reason you shouldn't be going to school."

"Come _on_, Izumi!" Ed whined, tossing his blanket over his head and flopping his arms against the mattress dramatically. "Can't I just stay home this once?!"

A single eyebrow rose high in scrutiny. "Get your ass going _now_, before I shove a thermometer so far up yours, you _really _feel like you're dying."

"That's abuse, you old hag!" he exclaimed, and in seconds, the blanket went flying and Izumi had him by the ear.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" she shouted, yanking at his lobe until he moved out of his bed. "APOLOGIZE NOW, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

"I'M NOT LI-" he began, but one final tug broke him. "Fu-! _FINE! _I'm sorry!"

Izumi smirked as she ripped her hand away from him, ignoring the boy's muttered curses. "Be ready in twenty, or your breakfast will be gone."

"Yeah, yeah," he grunted, rubbing his ear mindlessly. "Will you let me be now?"

Without another word, she was gone. Swiftly, Ed moved to his computer and checked the internet for any news about YaoCorp. Nothing still; now, he was certain they were trying to cover the incident.

"Shit," he muttered, and, with a deep breath, headed for his bathroom, frustrated, sore, and, deep down, a little afraid of leaving the safety of his bed.

He had to suck it up, he thought to himself. He had to keep going; knowing Izumi, she'll probably call the school to make sure he arrived on time. And, maybe, if he continues his typical routine, it'll seem less suspicious. As he turned the faucet of his shower to piping hot, he smacked his face in an attempt to quell his nerves. He really needed to get it together.

::

::

Going though the damned gates of that corporation, pretending that being within its walls didn't sicken him to the brink of vomiting, was enough to make Shou Tucker go mad. When he was young, YaoCorp was a dream. He believed in their innovative ideas, their hope for a better, healthy tomorrow. But now? He was walking into a lab void of any of those virtues. Any advancements made to better humanity were used as ploys to gain profit. It was vile, how the company had begun to operate.

Shou wanted to believe that he stayed there, because he wanted to finish his dream, but truthfully, he stayed because he was afraid of leaving. After everything that happened to Van… He'd lost sight of the dream they both shared, and focused solely on keeping himself in the company's good graces.

Not that it matters anymore, he thought to himself.

The quiet glances and silenced voices that followed him through the lab was enough to make him scream. The bastards; they looked like him like a parasite now. The news of his project being cancelled must have spread faster than he anticipated. It proved to him how fickle his "colleagues" were with their loyalties.

He walked on without a passing glance, continuing on towards his office. Or, at least that was his cover for the time being. There were a few things he needed to make sure he didn't miss in his attempt to cover up the child of his old partner's tracks.

Once that was done, he could safely contact him -_them-_, and let his thirteen years of silence finally be broken.

::

::

He'd felt feverish the moment he walked into that damned school. The sights and sounds of students and teachers was too loud, too vibrant. He felt aware of _everything_, from the whispers of every student reaching his ears, to the smell of body spray and damp hair from the light morning rain. His head ached with the same sore intensity that he'd felt that weekend, and he mouthed profanities as he made his way towards his locker.

"_Edward Elric_!"

He didn't even get the door open all the way before Winry Rockbell stormed up to him and slammed the damn thing shut. She was a hurricane of fury; her mouth was a tightly screwed line, her eyes wide and fixated on Edward, shining with both aggression and panic. He could practically feel the intensity that her heart was beating, and from the heaviness of her breathing, he knew she was riled up, and he was in deep, deep shit.

"Well, don't stand there you idiot!" she snapped. "What the hell happened to you this weekend?!"

Oh _fuck_. He'd completely forgotten about running into her after he fled YaoCorp. He'd had at least fifteen missed calls and who knows how many texts that he hadn't read yet, were some from her? He was far passed dazed and confused when he bumped into her at Central Square, how was he going to explain _that _whole debacle without sounding like a complete liar?

"Uh…" he began, before getting smacked in the face with the smell of her perfume once more, and all he could focus on was every aspect of its aroma, and how it was getting stronger by the second.

"Why didn't you text me back?" she seethed, crossing her arms and taking a slight step back. "I thought you were dying!"

The scent of white lilies dissipated enough for him to think again. Shit, he thought, he had tried to reach him. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to his locker. "I mean, I felt like it."

"I could tell," she remarked smartly, then added, very, very softly, almost like a secret. "You… You had me really worried."

Ed glanced at her from the side. She was still staring him down, but her anger had softened.

It made him feel guilty, seeing her look at him that way and knowing he'd caused her and their friend to freak out over him. He rolled his eyes in an attempt to shake that building emotional weight, and moved to his locker, doing the best he could to focus on twisting in the combination, but dark brown hair and a long finger poking hard into his chest caught him completely by surprise.

"Elric!" the whirlwind that was Rose shouted. "What is your damage?! What were you even doing—"

Edward's side banged into the corner of the locker's metal frame, and Rose closed in on him; he could make out each streak of smokey shadow that lined her eyes, and could smell the chemicals of her lipstick that combined to emulate the scent of crème brûlée. Was she always so meticulous with her make-up?

"Dude, Rose!" Ed exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pushing it down to her side. "Chill out, man! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, sorry my _ass,_" she retorted, swiping away from him. "You looked completely obliterated!"

His frustration piqued, he needed to end the conversation before it turned for the worst."Hey, Rose? So-called _friend_? I'm fine. How's about you stop riding my ass and get going?"

Rose stared at him fervently, the fullness of her bottom lip pouting in aggravation. "Whatever." She let out a sigh and forced her expression into something less antagonistic. "I'm.. glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Ed said flatly, and, with a short nod, Rose walked away.

Great, he thought, first period hadn't even started, and he already had a headache.

"I'm sorry," Winry began, hiking the strap of her tote higher up on her shoulder. "It doesn't excuse her, but we were both freaked out. You were really out of it. Rose and I didn't even know if you made it home safe."

Ed made certain to ignore the hint of panic in her voice when she spoke.

"You hang out with her too much," he groaned, trying to downplay the situation in an attempt to help her calm down. "You're starting to act like her. All 'mother henning' and whatever."

"Mother _henning_?" she repeated, her mouth going back to that tight little line. "Ed, what the hell is—"

A hand on her shoulder caused her to suddenly go silent, and Ed stared at her intently.

"Win, I'm fine," he told her, wondering why he'd never noticed the light freckles that marked the bridge of her nose. "I must've…" he dragged on, thinking of YaoCorp and the chaos that had ensued, "…caught a bug or something at the lab that made me loopy as shit, but now I'm better. Quit worrying, okay?"

He hoped she would accept that story, that she'd fall for such a shitty excuse, but knowing her, she'd never really believe it. Ed could tell by the scrutiny in her gaze that she wasn't convinced.

"Oh, whatever," she mumbled, her eyebrows pinched together in a frustration, and swatted his hand away. "You could have still text me back, dummy."

"Next time I get lost in Central Square, I'll make sure to do that," he replied.

The warning bell for homeroom started to ring.

"Anyways," she began. "That's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Ed hung up his backpack and pulled out his first period text book and binder. "Shoot."

"The Robotics Club is having a final competition for the region," she explained. "If we win this one, we'll get a shot at Nationals."

"Whoop-dee-doo," Ed droned, to which Winry pinched the back of his arm.

"As I was saying," Winry continued, agitation newly coating her tone. "This is a really big deal for the Club, and the school. I was hoping you'd come to the match, maybe take some photos for the school paper, or for the yearbook?"

Ed closed his locker door and leaned against it lazily. If this would get her to drop this weekend, he'd happily oblige. "Sure, when's the big match?"

Winry's eyes lit up. "Great! It's the Saturday before Spring Break starts, so in two weeks."

Ed nodded his head slowly, taking a mental note. "Saturday, two weeks, got it."

"I'll send you all the deets through text," she said, and quirked her head to the side as she grinned widely. "Thanks, Ed," she started walking away, but stopped to look over her and add, "and _please_, try not to scare the crap of me and Rose again, okay?"

Ed held up a meager thumbs up and started walking towards the courtyard, hoping to cut through it and make it to homeroom on time. With the migraine that was starting to build up, didn't need Hakuro riding his ass for a stupid tardy.

The majority of the day remained uneventful. Pitt made his usual amount of shitty jokes, completely oblivious to Rose's frustration as she tried not to seem cold towards Ed. Winry had let the issue go completely, choosing instead to talk about the insane workload she brought upon herself right before break.

Winry groaned dramatically as she and Rose sat down across from Ed and Pitt at their usual lunch table, twisting the top off of her bottled water. "Don't get me wrong, I _love_ being on Student Council, but literally nothing gets done until last minute! It's such a pain in the ass."

"Are you even going to have time to hang with me this weekend?" Rose asked her, and Winry laughed.

"If you don't mind me working on a million things at once," she replied.

"A little Winry is better than no Winry," Rose sighed.

"Wish I had that much," Pitt tried to whisper, but came out as fully audible to anyone within a foot of him. Luckily, Winry and Rose were too busy with their own conversation.

"A little louder there, Pitt— I don't think she heard you," Ed teased, as pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Shut up, dude," he muttered, elbowing Ed in the side.

Winry looked over in there direction, oblivious. "What?"

"Nothing," Ed and Pitt said in unison, to which Winry stuck her tongue out at the both of them.

Ed chuckled at Pitt's expense as he unlocked his screen, pulling up the tons of unread texts from the past weekend. He'd had a ton from Al and Izumi, which even after the fact made him shiver when he read how angry she had been. Rose had blown up on him, as he'd experienced earlier. Pitt sent him a couple "hey's", unknowing of his debacle, and a collection of texts from Win.

_(3:04): Hey, are you alright? _

_(3:11): Can you shoot me a text when you get home? You weren't looking too good._

_(3:45): Ed?_

_(4:20): You're starting to freak me out. Did you make it home? _

_(4:56): EDWARD. _

Damn, he was really starting to feel bad that he made them all worry so much.

Once school had ended, Ed had every intention of going home and immediately passing out. The thought of his bed was heaven in tangible form. Bounding through the back doors of the building, Ed started making his way on the familiar trek home. He plugged in his headphones, kicked off on his board, and let the stress of the past three days melt away as he rode.

Whatever the side effects were from the lab, they made cruising on his board even more enjoyable than it was before. He could calculate the velocity of his board with ease, prompting his foot to press down on the ground and push off at the perfect time, building up speed and swaying across the sidewalk as though he were riding on a wave. He'd damn near sped the way home at the same speed as traffic!

Turning onto his street, Ed let out a yawn as he kicked up his board and walked towards his front door. His bed was _really_ calling his name.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, feeling a set of eyes on his back. Ed turned around slowly, noticing a strange looking car parked across the street, a few houses down from his. There was a man inside of the car, and he was watching him.

Ed hastily walked up the cement path to his front porch. Fuck, was this guy from YaoCorp? Did they figure out it was him? He hopped the entire set of steps and ran inside, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

"Izumi?" he called out. "Sig?"

There was no answer. Shit. They were probably out at the butcher shop.

Ed ran up the staircase to his bedroom, dropping to the floor when he noticed his blinds were pulled up, and crawled towards the window to sneak a peek at the car. It was still parked, but he couldn't see the person inside.

The doorbell to his house began to ring.

"Oh shit," he breathed.

There was a pause, and it rang again.

Should he call the cops? No, if this is a YaoCorp official, the cops might be on their way now, too. Panicked and unsure of what to do, Ed quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Al's number, but to his dismay, it went straight to voicemail.

"Al," he whispered, and he crept slowly towards, then down, the staircase. "If I'm gone by the time you get this, YaoCorp caught me and I'm probably dead—" the door bell rang again, followed by hard knocks, "—I have a secret stash of Reese's Christmas trees in the top far left corner of my closet, hidden behind a panel hiding a hole I punched into the wall. Eat them for me."

He hastily hung up the phone, his breath ragged as he moved slowly towards the peep hole of the front door. He peered through, spotting a balding head, large spectacles, and a paled expression, and Edward felt his stomach bottom out.

It was Shou Tucker, standing awkwardly on his porch, staring up at the small glass hole as though he could sense Edward standing on the other side of the door.

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End file.
